The Casino Job
by bugchicklv
Summary: Fic started out as a few Rayne vignettes and quickly grew into a much larger story..one with a PLOT! The Serenity crew is hired, eventually, to do a job for a wealthy patron. M for Language, Violence & Sexual Situations..No chapter warnings. INCOMPLETE
1. Dragon Slayer

"You need to see to your sister, Doc," commented the Captain. "She's starting to grate on everyone's last nerve."

"I know," he replied with a resigned sigh. "Nothing I have tried lately seems to help her. I am running out of pharmaceutical options and there are no neurological treatments available...at least not on the ship."

"Yeah, well, I ain't gott clue what you just said. Drug her if you gotta. Even Kaylee ain't as bright and cheerful as her usual shiny self. Kinda hard to be when a hyperactive banshee won't let no one sleep more'n 4 hours."

Simon retreated to the infirmary and readied a dose of sleep aid. He commed Kaylee to assist him in cornering his sister, hoping that her presence would calm the skittish girl.

However, River ran away screaming and dodged them both. Finally, in the common area, they tackled her to the couch where she began kicking and screaming even louder.

Just then, Jayne barrelled in roaring, "What in the HELL is going on in here? A man's likely to shoot someone he hears that kinda ruckus!"

Startled by both his presence and the outburst, Kaylee and Simon momentarily lost their grip on the struggling girl. River took the opportunity to dart out from under them and ran to hide behind the glowering mercenary.

"Please, help me," she pleaded with him, huge eyes brimming with tears. "Two by two, hands of blue. The dragons come for me in the dark and I can't fight them if I can't see."

"River, no one and nothing is going to come for you. You are safe here with me, with us," Simon countered.

She just sniffed and rolled her eyes and complained, "You never understand. Always answer with needles. Needles can't slay the dragons."

"Hey! Here's an idea: How 'bout you not drug her so much?" Jayne sneered. He wasn't really defending her. He just figured taking so many injections and pills had to be bad for anyone ain't dying.

"I've tried that. For more than a week now. THAT is why she's acting like this," he answered.

"She's drivin' me nuts Jayne. I can't get no work done and Serenity needs me," Kaylee finally offered.

"Naw. She just needs something to occupy her mind and keep her busy. A body's likely to go stir-crazy without nothin' to do. And we got lots o' nothing out here, most of the time. She needs a hobby. Like I got my guns."

"She has hobbies, you ape. She reads copiously and she enjoys drawing and painting."

Jayne rolled HIS eyes and said snidely, "Somethin' NOT boring. 'Sides, my Pa always said 'Idle hands and idle minds are a waste of good--"

"Yes, well," Simon cut him off. "I am sure your father has many such pearls of wisdom, but no doubt he has limited experience in dealing with mentally and emotionally damaged teenagers." He paused, then continued contemptuously looking Jayne up and down: "Or maybe he does."

"Did," the man growled, his jaw clenched tightly with barely restrained anger.

"Shu muh?" Kaylee asked quietly.

"DID," Jayne replied a little louder. "He died 'bout 8 years back and my sister Matty's a bit tetched in the head. So, yeah. He did have experience and I trust him miles more'n I do you."

"It was peaceful, Jayne," River whispered. "He didn't suffer and he was surrounded by the people that loved him."

"Not all of 'em," he answered, his voice edged with guilt and regret.

"He understood."

The big mercenary gave her a grateful half smile, then swatted her behind playfully. "Go get somethin' more comfortable on, girl. Like them black shorts you got."

Simon, concerned about Jayne's plans and slightly off-put by his familiarity with his sister, demanded to know what he had in mind.

"Well, first we're gonna clean this room. Then we'll move down to sweep, mop and dust the cargo bay...floor to ceilin'. After that...well, I dunno yet. I'll think of something. I suggest you take advantage of the quiet to get some sleep."

"I don't think I am comfortable leaving my sister..." he said hesitantly.

"Look, ya'll been bitchin' 'bout how she's on your nerves, won't settle down none. Well, nothing tuckers me out faster than some good old fashioned hard work. Gotta work on her some, too."

"Really, I don't know about this," Simon continued.

"Oh Simon. Let him try! If it don't work none, you can always give her a smoother later," Kaylee begged.

Simon silently assented and turned to head toward his room. He paused a moment to throw Jayne what he hoped was a significantly threatening look, then continued down the hall.

Jayne smirked and shook his head, clearly unfraid of the doctor and called out, "Hurry your scrawny ass up, girl."

Several hours later, Mal and Zoe found them asleep on the couch, her head in his lap and her hand tucked under her cheek. Jayne, his head thrown back and snoring slightly, had his arm curled protectively (possessively?) around River's shoulders.

"Do I need to be concerned about this?" he quietly asked his first mate as he looked on in shock.

Zoe turned her head to look at him and replied, "Best leave 'em be, Sir. She ain't so much as squawked in hours, and personally, I am enjoying the peace and quiet."

Mal nodded and they strode off toward the cargo bay.

"What the..?" Mal uttered, astonished at what he saw once they got there.

_EVERYTHING_ sparkled.

"Shiny," Zoe said with a smile.

"Ain't it just!" he chuckled.

More than 2 weeks later, Book commented to the Captain on how well River seemed to be doing. "It's quite a marvel."

"More like a miracle," Mal responded as they both sat at the dining table, coffee in hand.

"Why Captain, I thought you didn't believe in miracles."

"Well, if the shoe fits..."

Suddenly, Jayne burst into the room (as was his habit, it seemed) and called, "Come out, come out wherever you are!"

"Uh, Jayne? You mind tellin' me what it is that you are doin' exactly?"

"Hide and seek, Cap'n. And I just know Kaylee's in here; I can smell the engine grease."

A quiet giggle came from the pantry.

Jayne threw open the door and tagged her.

"Gotcha!" he yelled proudly.

"Shucks. It don't ever take you long afore you find me. I can't hide as good as River can," she pouted prettily then plopped down next to Mal.

"Now, I just gotta find River. Gorram girl always manages to elude me," Jayne said with a smile and headed toward the cargo bay.

Simon, in the kitchen (since it was his turn to prepare dinner), complained, "I haven't seen her in what seems like forever, let alone talked to her. Don't get me wrong," he said as he turned to face them, "I am happy that she appears to be doing so well and is behaving, and especially that she hasn't need any medication. I guess I just...miss her. Miss doing things for her. I'll never understand why she prefers the company of an untrained ape over mine."

From under the table came a quiet response: "I would rather have a fool to make me merry than experience to make me sad."

Book glance quickly down at the hiding girl and asked, "Quoting Elizabethan works from Earth-that-was, are we?"

"Quotin' what?" Kaylee asked.

"A lovely play called 'As You Like It.' I can get you a copy of it off of the Cortex if you would like to read it," offered the Shephard.

"Naw, I just thought what she said sounded pretty. I didn't understand it none. 'Sides, I gotta go check on my girl," she answered happily as she rose and skipped off to the engine room.

"I understood her perfectly well," Simon said regretfully. He placed the lid on the pot of stew and said, "That should simmer for while." Then, his shoulders slumped, he headed for the infirmary.

Mal looked at the Shephard, who nodded at him and said, "I'll see to him, Captain. It appears the boy may need a friendly ear."

Book then hurried after the saddened doctor.

"Right," huffed Mal as he started for the bridge. "I got captain-y things to do anyway."

After a moment, Jayne, with great stealth, returned to the dining room. He crouched low and and gently pulled out one of the chairs and whispered, "You're it!"

River giggled behind her hand and peeked out.

"Took you long enough," she whispered back, and grabbed his hand to drag him under the table with her.

"It's not so crowded here now. And not in my castle," she said happily. "You chase away all the dragons."

Jayne carefully tucked a wayward lock of hair behind her ear and chuckled.

"Guess I can play at bein' a knight in rusty armour for a while. Gonna need one of them big long sticks."

"A lance," she corrected. "Typically used for jousting in competition."

"Right, whatever," he answered as she climbed into his lap.

"Here, a token from the fair maiden as her favorite prepares for battle," River offered and she kissed him gently but firmly on the lips and without hesitation.

He couldn't resist the warmth of her mouth and wrapped his arms around her tightly. And he kissed her quite thoroughly in return.

Jayne pulled back after a few moments, gasping and confused.

"What the..? Gorramit girl! You shouldn't have done that; makes me all...Wait! What battle?"

Just then, Zoe's legs appeared next to the table.

"Jayne? I think you have a bit of explaining to do..."


	2. Guilty Secrets

_Jayne? I think you have some explaining to do."_

Slightly afraid of the warrior woman, Jayne hesitantly leaned back a little to look up at her from under the table.

"Whaddaya mean, Zo?"

"Well, at some point you're gonna have to tell me why you are playing under the table like a wayward toddler. But right now, you're needed up on the bridge."

"Uh...OK! Be right there," he responded.

Jayne looked at River and repeated his earlier query: "That the battle? You got any idea just what it is she's yellin' at me for?"

"The battle is within. You have to tell them, Jayne."

"Tell who? And what exactly am I supposed to be tellin' 'em?"

"Allies. Friends. Confession is good for the soul."

"I ain't been to confession in a long while, girl. And you're startin' to sound like the Shephard. That's a might bit scary."

"You'll be free soon," she promised and kissed him quickly. Then she climbed off of his lap and stolled out of the dining room, singing happily.

Jayne wiped his mouth as if trying to erase the memory of her kisses...which he was unsuccessful at. So he unfolded his legs and hauled himself out from under the table.

_Better get this over with,_ he thought to himself.

On the bridge, Zoe, the Captain and Wash were waiting impatiently for him.

"Seems you got a wave from Badger. YOU, not me, not the ship," Mal told him accusingly.

"What'd it say?" Jayne asked.

"He wants you to wave him back. Now, we're gonna leave it up to you to tell us if he does or says anything shady. Well, anything more shady than usual," offered the Captain.

"Hell, Mal. I ain't got no idea what that hun dan wants with me," he replied defensively.

"Whatever Jayne. I don't want to have to go through this again with you. Next time you won't be so lucky. Remember that."

"Sir?" questioned Zoe.

"Just a little thing between me and Jayne. Personal-like."

She looked at him skeptically but silently backed down. Wash busied himself with the connection and then he, Mal and Zoe gave him some privacy as they left and closed the door behind them.

That surprised Jayne.

He sat down in the pilot's chair and waited for the static to clear. Badger's face sprang up before him.

"'Owdy, Mr. Cobb. 'S been a while. 'Ow's business?" Badger was unusually chipper.

"None of yours," he replied tersely. "What are you wantin' with me?"

"Straigh' to th' point. I like 'at! Seems a mutual acquain'ance 'as been lookin' for ya. Says 'e's gotta job for us."

"Really? Who is it and what do they want done?"

"Did'n get inta the specifics. Funny thng is 'e tol' me if I could'n find you, that 'e wan'ed me to find 'im someone else. Imagine my surprise when 'e suggested Malcolm Reynolds. See, I'm guessin' 'e don't know you're runnin' with the pretentious hundan, now do 'e?"

Jayne stared at the display, confusion clearly written on his face.

"So? Who is it?" he repeated gruffly.

"Fella by th' name o' Jester."

"Wu de ma," came a quiet curse from the mercenary.

"I forwar'ed the contact info to Cap'n Reynolds. Figured 'e would'n take to kindly to 'is 'ired gun contractin' jobs wi'out 'is knowledge. We got th' potential to make some good money on 'is; tell Malcolm I'll be expecting 'is call."

"Fine."

"'ey! 'Ow is it a mangy mercenary such as yourself knows a rich, 'igh falutin' business man like Jester?"

"Long story," came the pithy response as Jayne broke the connection and loosed a string of curses.

After a few minutes of quiet contemplation and painful reminiscing, Jayne climbed down the stairs out of the bridge. Standing in front of his bunk, Mal waited, his arms and legs crossed and he leaned back trying to appear non-chalant.

But Jayne could tell he was tense and ready to challenge him.

"Not now, Mal. It was personal. Don't concern you none. Wave Badger; he's go a job waitin'."

"Well, alright then," Mal assented and headed off to call the "middle man" in the ugly hat.

Jayne slammed open the door to his bunk and climbed down in a huff, cursing under his breath.

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"What the..?"

In a panic, Jayne lunged for the light and his gun.

River was sitting on the end of his bed.

"Gorramit girl! You TRYIN' to get me spaced? OUT! NOW!"

"You have to tell them," River repeated her statement from earlier.

"Look, I ain't got no clue what you're talkin' 'bout. Not that this is any different than usual, but right now, you seem particularly off your nut."

"Common Allies. Secrets. You don't want them to know; you believe they will think you soft if you confess. Daddy won't."

"Girl..." he started, but choked on his reply when she stood up on the bed and reached out to touch his face.

"Dragons come for you in the dark, too...don't they? Won't let you forget. I thought it was Ariel that ate at your soul; that was only part of it."

Jayne looked at her in shock. _She KNOWS,_ he thought to himself not wanting to believe it. And yet she was still acting as if she cared, as if she was a friend. Had she forgiven him? Did he need to ask?

"Will always forgive. Sometimes your guilt shouts so loudly, I can't hear myself think. Tell them. I don't want you to hurt anymore. **I** don't want to hurt anymore."

"You feel that stuff too, eh? Not just all your own emotions running amuck, but other people's too?"

"Almost always. Not when you're near and we are alone. But then Simon comes, or Captain Daddy, and you think and think and it gets so crowded again. So LOUD."

"You mean...I'm hurtin' ya?"

River only smiled at him sadly and placed her hand over his chest where she'd cut him. "I guess we are even. But you have to tell them Jayne. Will start to put the family whole and quiet the voices some."

She climbed down, threw her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, gently rubbing her face on his shirt. Then, as she started to climb out of his bunk, she paused and looked at him again.

"It is better that it comes from you than him. Not Bad. Not Mad. Just...not the same; not as meaningful. Only you know the real truth."

And with that, she climbed out.

Jayne sat down heavily where River had just been. The space was still warm. Now his room seemed to smell like her, too. Of apples...or pears. He couldn't decide which. He wasn't sure he liked how that made him feel.

_Gorram girl's too pretty for her own good. Too smart as well. Better stay outta my head..._

But I'll be damned if she ain't right; gonna have to tell them.

Just _when_ though, he hadn't yet decided.


	3. Guns & Apples

A/N: I used the specs on current guns mainly because I am not imaginative enough to make up stuff for the future weaponry. Same reasoning applies for the current medications.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

River watched as Jayne sat at the dining table. In front of him several gun lie in parts, but twice as many were already cleaned and recently assembled.

As he slid the barrel back on Boo, Jayne noticed her hanging on to the partition between the kitchen and the dining room.

"Ain't you got nothin' better to do than park yourself there?" he sneered at her and blew into the barrel.

"No. Nothing better...nothing at all. Only so many things I can clean," she added apologetically.

"Where the hell is your gorram brother? Go bother him, or Kaylee. They owe me," Jayne told her coarsely.

"Sunshine and strawberries is otherwise occupied. She locked herself in her room; Simon is SUCH a boob."

"Yeah, well tell me something I don't know. I can only imagine what he done now to upset her. Why ain't you hanging out with him?" he complained.

"Dr. Frankenstein is preparing trial medications--regimines with different combinations and strengths of fluoxetine, maprotiline, chlorpromazine, lithium, haloperidol and levodopa. Must fix the living dead-girl," she said morosely.

Sounds like a lot of stuff to be taking," Jayne offered, shocked at the number of medications she named even though he had no idea what they actually did. He also felt bad since it was partially his fault she was regressing. He had been avoiding her since the incident in his bunk a few days ago, and he knew his presence calmed her for some odd reason.

He just wasn't sure he wanted her poking around in his head right now. He had too much on his mind, ironically, and he had yet to talk to Mal about Jester.

"Yes, too much," she said cryptically. "And too many incorrect medications at that. But it is all he knows, all he has. If only he would just see, and _listen_," River finished as she eased over to the table, pulled out a chair and sat opposite Jayne.

At his wary glance, she looked him in the eye and stated firmly, "NO touching guns. I know, I just want to observe."

River then pointed to one of the reassembled pieces and cited, "50 A.E. brushed chrome, Desert Eagle Mark XIX, 6-inch barrel, effective range of 650 feet, polygonal rifling, right-hand twist, Trijicon 3-Dot green front/rear night set, 7 round capacity, hollow-point ammunition."

She picked another: "Smith & Wesson, .500 brushed stainless steel revolver, 10-inch stress-relieved and cut rifled barrel, MRI custom scope mount, 5 round capacity."

At Jayne's incredulous look she picked another and did the same for it.

"Ta ma de!" he exclamed, clearly awestruck. "That is ruttin' amazing!"

River grinned and sat on her hands, alternately kicking her feet to and fro.

"Did you memorize that outta some catalogue or have you been researching guns on the Cortex recently?" he asked, already knowing neither of these to be the answer. But he was unwilling to admit it to himself--unwilling to acknowledge what that might mean, to them all.

River shook her head and frowned, "Just KNOW it."

Trying hard to find a reasonable explanation, Jayne narrowed his eyes and said, "You can't just know that stuff, River. Took me a long while to know guns like that." He picked one up and looked at it, as if making sure that kind of info wasn't written on it.

"Here try this one," he said as he held up another and another--and another. Every one she pegged, and could even spot his own modifications.

"Huh."

And then he thought about what Kaylee had said regarding her accuracy at Niska's--with her eyes closed. She was also quick and cunning as the incident with Early suggested. Didn't seem to be afraid of anything except "Blue Hands" and whatever these dream dragons were, and she was a genius to boot.

_If she had bigger tits she'd be pretty damn well near-perfect, _he thought. Except for the whole feng le part, of course. That there was the deal breaker in his opinion, no matter what she felt like in his arms or how soft those two kisses had been.

"Oh well," he said to no one in particular.

Suddenly, River dropped to her knees and scrambled under the table. When she scooted up close to his knees, Jayne exclaimed, "What the HELL?"

"Shhhh. Please? Respite from the torment. I keep him awake, can't help it," River apologized. "He's going to stab me again and I do not want to lose today. It was a good day," she whispered frantically.

"I've missed you, though," she added.

Once again Jayne found himself feeling guilty so he nodded his head and felt her relax around his legs. He went on to cleaning and sharpening his knives.

Simon hurried into the room and was brought up short by the sight of the mercenary and his arsenal. When Jayne spit on the whetting stone, he curled his lip in disgust and asked, "Have you seen River?"

Sarcastically, Jayne replied, "Skinny little thing, scraggly hair, 'bout yay high?" he said as he gestured to chest level with his knife. "Once or twice, I think."

Simon rolled his eyes and snidely responded, "Today. Or rather, within the last hour or so. That is, provided something other than weaponry can hold your attention for longer than a heart-beat."

"Lotsa things hold my attention ain't guns, Doc. Pretty legs, soft skin, warm lips..." he paused, not liking where his thoughts were taking him or who he was imagining as he said it.

"Naw," he continued. "Ain't seen her today and I been here with my girls all afternoon. What's she done anyway to have you chasin' her with that needle again?"

"Not that it is any of your concern, but she needs to sleep. It's been 4 days and her mind is already fragile enough. Add sleep deprivation..."

_4 days. That's how long I been avoidin' her_, he thought guiltily. Jayne felt her tighten her arms around his legs from her hidey hole under the table.

"Well, I don't know where the gorram moonbrain got herself off to."

The last 4 words were said at a much higher pitch and as he partially lifted in his seat.

Simon only saw the outburst as another example of 'the man-ape gone wrong thing', gave him a wierd look and continued on in his search for his sister.

Angrily, Jayne scooted back his chair and ducked his head sideways under the table.

"Hey! What did you go and do that for?"

Evidently, River had pinched his ass.

"See if I help hide you again," he huffed.

Sadly, she answered, "Words wound as deeply as any knife. I don't like it when you call me that, especially out of anger."

_Again, with the guilt_ he thought.

River quickly pressed her lips to his and kissed him soundly. Then she climbed out from under the table and smiled tiredly. "And you will always rescue me from the needles. You can't resist any opportunity to vex Simon."

Jayne smiled lop-sidedly and chuckled a bit. "Guess you're right about that."

"Yes, and the sooner everyone realizes that I am always right, the better off we'll all be."

Then she giggled.

Jayne grabbed her and tickled her playfully, the know-it-all imp.

Then he looked her in the eye and said seriously, "Simon's got a point, though; you gotta sleep River."

"Will you fight my dragons?" she asked fearfully.

"Ain't that what I am best at?" he answered as he puffed out his chest and flexed his muscles.

River smiled brightly this time, and took him by the hand. When it appeared she was leading him to HIS bunk, he pulled back sharply.

"OH hell no! You ARE trying to get me spaced! I can't fight no dragons if I get put out, girl."

You could then tell that River was tired, because rather than argue she nodded and turned in the other direction toward her own room.

"Not likely to look for me there, ironically. Still thinks I am hiding."

Somehow they made it to her room without running into Simon, or anyone for that matter. Once there, she was barely able to crawl face-down into the bed. Jayne covered her gently and heard her even breaths. And her soft, kitten-like snores.

With a smile, he bent down...and froze when he realized what he was about to do.

But with a shrug he thought, _What the hell,_ and kissed her lightly on the side of her head, then slid the kiss to her cheek.

Jayne grabbed the extra pillow beside her, sat down by the bed, and tucked it behind his back. He quickly looked to make sure the door was WIDE open so that no one accused him of anything improper. Satisfied that it was, he took ahold of her dangling hand, leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

_Yep, apples,_ he decided. _River definitely smelled like apples._


	4. Sweet Dreams

He awoke with her nose pressed into his neck. It was the way she inhaled--smelling him so deeply that it roused Jayne from his slumber. For a moment he was disoriented and his body was stiff and sore.

"Simon will be here soon" River murmured, her lips now pressed against his pulse.

"Wha-?" he asked, confused.

Then Jayne realized where he was and who's lips were making his John Thomas dance...and he was jolted fully awake.

Rising quickly from his perch on the floor he knew he needed to get out of that room. The door was open and nothing had happened, but he was still tired and didn't want to get into it with the up-tight doctor.

Jayne hurridly tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and pulled the covers up over her more completely. With a smile he told her to go back to sleep and left the room.

In the common area he passed Simon, who had evidently given up on finding River for a while. But for some sadistic reason he told him, "Your Sis is sleeping. And it didn't take none o'yer needles."

Jayne smirked at the astonished look on the other man's face and climbed the stairs headed for his bunk.

He missed Simon's shock shift to confusion, then suspicion. No doubt River's brother was questioning just _how_ the mercenary knew she was asleep and just _where_ he was coming from looking so tired himself.

Her hair tickled his torso as it trailed her tongue down his body. A tongue that was eliciting a strangled groan from the heavily aroused man.

Jayne lifted his head to look at the girl that smelled like ripe fruit, but was unable to make out her features; she was hiding behind the veil her dark hair provided. When her lips wrapped around his throbbing member he suddenly didn't care what she looked like, only what she was doing to make him squirm.

While he enjoyed the teasing to some extent, Jayne had been without a woman for far too long. He gently ran his hand through the tangled mess of hair to grab her head and hold her where she was.

_So close,_ he thought, breathing hard, eyes closed. He could feel her laughter vibrate all the way to his toes.

The woman took hold of his hands and released his cock from her warm, wet muouth. Then she trailed that talented tongue back up his tightly-wound body.

Jayne could feel her breath on his lips and he knew she was poised to kiss him. But he didn't kiss whores. And certainly not on the mouth. When her tongue darted out to lick his lips he could smell the tart fruit more distinctly, but would not open his mouth.

With a sigh she moved instead to press her lips against the pulse in his neck. That felt vaguely familiar and while he enjoyed the faint memory, he was uncomfortable with this woman doing it.

Jayne opened his eyes a little and prepard to pull her away, but the dark-haired vixen latched onto his neck and started sucking firmly.

It felt so delicious that his hair tingled and his toes curled into the bed as he drew his knees up toward his chest.

She pulled back a little as if to examine her handiwork and once again Jayne wondered what she looked like. He lost his train of thought, though, when she moved on to suckle his earlobe and stuck her wet, probing tongue in his ear.

His eyes rolled back in his head when she wrapped her hand around his thick cock.

Jayne jumped slightly when he heard her spit but relaxed when her other hand, soft and slick with her saliva, joined its sister.

"Ta ma de. I needed this," he whispered and licked his lips...forgetting that her tongue had recently been there.

Apples.

She _tasted_ like apples.

The woman stopped her ministrations and Jayne took the opportunity to grab her roughly up to his chest and quickly flipped them both over.

Curiously, he noticed her hair still managed to hide her face, but her body arched up to touch his. At this point it no longer mattered; the woman was warm and willing and that was good enough.

Well, not good enough yet. None too gently he thrust the fingers of his right hand between her thighs to test her readiness.

Yes. Warm, WET and willing was good enough.

And with that, he plunged into her eager body. She was so tight and so hot that he had to momentarily pause. Mainly out of confusion since whores didn't feel like this--didn't feel this good, and also out of concern that he would come so quickly. He wasn't completely selfish in bed; he wanted to _try_ and draw this out a bit. Make it last for them both.

Satisfied that he wouldn't climax yet, he began thrusting slowly and deeply. He leaned over on one elbow to draw her body closer to his own and buried his face her hair.

...and was assaulted by the fragrance of apples once again. He wasn't sure that he'd ever be able to look at the fruit again without getting hard.

Proudly, he noticed that the woman was moaning and scratching his back in ecstasy. She wrapped her legs around him trying to draw him deeper. So he obliged, thrusting as deeply as he could.

This time when he felt the wave building, he didn't stop. He pounded the woman chanting "Jayne, Jayne, Jayne," into the mattress until--

"Jayne. JAYNE! Wake up! I need your help," Kaylee called.

The heavily breathing man sat up quickly and looked around the room--his bunk, in confusion.

He could still smell the apples.

Apples.

_River_ smelled like apples.

Jayne jumped up in a panic and checked the sheets for tell-tale signs of sex. Nothing there. He darted to check the hatch on his bunk; still locked. A quick look in the mirror assured him that he had no hickey and no scratches.

He sat down heavily on the bed and glanced around one more time.

"It was a ruttin' _dream_," he said to himself with what sounded like a cross between relief and disappointment.

"Be there in a few, Kaylee!" he yelled back crossly when he realized his cock was still hard, throbbing, unsatisfied.

_Gotta take care of that_, he thought.

"Now! Please? It's important!" she called prettily.

Angrily he yanked on his pants and ran a hand over his face and into his hair in frustration.

His right hand.

Then he brought his fingers back to his face and breathed in deeply

"Wu de ma," he whispered.

Apples.


	5. Up the Creek

"Now just where the HELL is this gorram thing and how the HELL am I supposed to fix it?" grumbled Jayne.

He was cranky. Wierd dreams of a sweet-smelling dark-hard girl left him all horny. Got some trim in the dream, but got woken up before the payoff and wasn't given any time to rub one out to alleviate the tension.

Yeah. He was definately cranky, and the ruttin' septic pump was broke. That meant someone had to go EVA _UNDER_ the ship to fix it. And they were in space.

Evidently Simon had FREAKED in the wide-open black (or so River had told him, conspiratorially with a giggle); Mal, Wash and Zoe were off in the extra shuttle exchanging their cargo in preparation for The Casino Job; 'Nara was whor--_working_; Book crooked his eyebrow as if to say 'You want me to _what, WHERE_ in regards to the human waste disposal system?'; and Kaylee had to do all the technical stuff inside the ship to prep, prime, reset and test the system once the pump was installed.

That left him or River to do it. And Jayne was tempted to let her since she practically glowed with excitement at the chance to go outside again. But it was his job to do the dirty work; it's what he was paid to do. And he was in ruttin' charge.

So, Jayne found himself in the cargo bay testing his headset so that he could hear the engineer's instructions and putting on his EVA suit.

From behind him came a concerned: "Did you inspect it?"

"Wha-?"

More forcefully, River asked, "Did you INSPECT IT? Since your last extravehicular excursion was several months ago, it would be in your best interest to take a moment to look for holes, rips, tears, loose seams, unravelling thread..."

"Alright, alright! Ai ya, woman!"

He shucked it quickly then snapped to the waiting Kaylee via headset, "Gorram safety inspector wants me to make sure my suit is...safe."

"Sounds downright reasonable, Jayne."

During this exchange, the gruff man passed his fingertips over the suit, shifting it impatiently, feeling...a seam that looked weak with unravelling threads.

River smirked.

"Yeah, ok. I guess I owe you one," he grumbled as he applied the chemical mender.

She snatched it out of his hands when he started to put it back on again and quipped, "No, you owe me two." She stuck her finger through a mysteriously appearing yet significant hole.

"Could have resulted in a potentially catastrophic injury."

Jayne huffed, took it back and applied a patch, then sealed it.

"Thanks," he muttered, not looking her in the eye. "Now GIT! EVA is a dangerous thing, man's gotta prepare and concentrate."

"But you OWE me," she reminded him.

"Well, this here job's gotta be done first, so lemme get to it. THEN I'll deal with you...and HEY? Wait! Since when did a that become an ACTUAL IOU? IOUs is serious things. I was just saying 'thanks'. Didn't really mean nothin'."

She pouted.

"Wu de ma, I'll never get women. And why are you still here? Ok, so I guess I owe you for real. When I get done I'll deal with whatever your crazy ass...ahem..._unusual_ request might be LATER. Really River--I ain't in the mood today."

She quirked her eyebrow.

"Kaylee, run me off a list of tools I'm gonna need, and you got that replacement pump ready yet?"

River handed him a bag of tools populated by a handful of items. Basically, everything that Kaylee was rattling off to him. While Jayne busied himself checking that, River donned an EVA suit.

Kaylee, loping happily down the stairs, came to a dead stop on the last. _Eh, well if River wants to go and Jayne don't mind none, can't see no harm in it. It's real sweet of her to want to help,_ she thought. 

So, she walked over to Jayne and handed him and obviously rebuilt-outta-scraps pump.

"Damn, girl. From the looks o' this I'm gonna have to do it all over again relatively soon."

"Naw, it's shiny! This one should last us more'n year. Longer if you'd take it a little easier on the head, Jayne."

He glowered at her.

She stuck out her tongue.

"Payback for the 'Gyno' comment," she told him.

"Aww, you know that came out lots worse than I-"

"Not gonna discuss it now. 'Sides, we got jobs to do and I think we oughta be doin' 'em." 

And she flounced off to where the pump controls waited.

With a laugh, Jayne turned to River and said, "Sounds like Cap'n Tightpants is rubbin' off on her--And just what in the HELL do you think you are doin'?" he roared.

"I am going with you."

"Oh, no you are are not."

"Oh, yes I am," she retorted, mimicking him.

"Over my dead body."

"That could EASILY be arranged, you know." She held up her hand, "But just STOP. Do not say anything about me being soft in the head, moonbrained, or feng le. I AM going. My mental status will be more in question if I do NOT."

Jayne huffed and shrugged hostily, then stomped off to get his helmet. He put it on the top of his head then layed the bag cross-wise over his chest and under his arm to lay on his hip. With one more snarling look at her, he lowered the helmet and locked it.

River couldn't get hers to lock, though.

He snatched it off of her head and peered inside, and noticed that the latch was already in the 'locked' position. With a shake of his head he slid it open and started to place it over her head.

But first, he tucked a stray lock of unruly hair behind her ear.

_Coulda gotten 'tween the helmet and the suit and caused a leak,_ he justified to himself. _Just want her to stop botherin' me so much, not get her dead._

As he locked the helmet in place she mimicked his earlier statement, "Thanks. Guess I owe you one."

"After this, call us even. You ready? We got us a job waitin'."

She nodded, tears starting to form in her eyes.

Confused as to what set her off, and still agitated over her having to be there, topped off with unresolved horniness made him resolve to just get the damn job done.

And try to ignore her.

Only, he couldn't really ignore her, cause now he had to fix the pump AND watch over her. Wouldn't do to piss off Mal and upset Simon by letting her...What?

Wander off? (_Riiiiiight_)

Get lost? (_Suuuuuure_)

Hurt herself? (_WHAT-everrrr...wait, all of those could actually happen! Maybe I should have tethered her._)

But by that time they were already at the pump access panel. Jayne snuck a quick peek at River, who he saw was facing out to the deeper black of space. Funny thing was, she seemed to be dancing in place.

After a few moments, Jayne had the old pump out and had set the new one in its place. He reached into the pouch for the wrench he had just put back and the sealant to, well...seal, the hoses. But as he pulled out the wrench, the sealant came with it and toppled end over end backwards, away from him.

"Wu de ma," he cursed as he reached for it and missed. It traveled behind him further and thuded against the back of River's helmet. It bounced off and headed away from the ship.

River spun around, looked up at the wayward product, and launched herself torward it in an effort to catch it.

Panicked, Jayne made a desparate grab for her as he jammed his boot into the pump housing opening. Firmly catching her by the ankle, he roughly hauled her down to where her ass hit the ship.

"SIT!" he yelled, loudly into the headset, then put a heavy boot on her leg to hold her there and went back to securing the pump.

And as if nothing had just happened, River grinned at him and held out her hand with the sealant so he could finish.

"Everthing ok out there, Jayne?" Kaylee asked, concerned.

"Will be when you tell me if this gorram thing is working!" he snapped.

The mechanism jumped a few times, shook frighteningly and then began vibrating evenly.

"'S working!" she responded.

With more strength than was necessary, he slammed shut the access panel and hauled River up to drag her back to the airlock.

"Just a few more minutes please? It's so peaceful here, while inside all the pieces are so tightly wound. The clock spring...I can feel it threatening to break. I can hear myself think out here...not so crowded, not so loud. Well, yours are, but I can push them aside more easily when I am not juggling the others. Too many balls in the air. Gonna drop them all without rest. THIS is rest," she ended sounding very happy.

But Jayne was anything but. His jaw was clenched tightly and he was breathing hard, quickly . His nostrils flared as he he looked at her through anger-narrowed eyes.

A muscle in his cheek twitched.

"No. We are going in NOW!" he said forcefully.

The sorrow and disappointment that flashed momentarily across her face ALMOST made him hesitate--almost made him feel badly that he had snapped. But he didn't on either counts. He was livid.

Once inside the cargo bay he violently twisted off his helmet and slammed it into its padded rest. Then he turned, yanked River to him, twisted off her helmet and yelled:

"Do you have ANY idea WHAT could have HAPPENED to you IF I hadn't caught you! YOU don't have on a jet pack!"

River opened her mouth and had planned to respond with something sarcastic that would have served to remind him that SHE was the genius, that she KNEW what she was doing, and that there was always the option of maneuvering the ship after her IF something had happened.

But she noticed that the hands that were tightly holding and bruising her shoulders were...shaking. Then she saw how ALL of him appeared to be shaking. And while his tone and what she felt conveyed his anger, in his eyes she saw fear. REAL fear...something that she had never expected to see from him. 

Guilt? He had that in spades, but she had thought of him as a bold and brave warrior, if a little uncouth and disreputable. Tough as nails and, above all, fearless.

So the strength of his reaction, combined with memory flashes from him of a similar incident with an unhappy-ending, overwhelmed her. It engulfed her newly found strength and stability and she couldn't hold back the tears.

Jayne saw the light go out in her, and instantly regretting yelling at her so loudly, at being so rough with her. He just wanted her to understand the seriousness of what she had done. How close he had come to almost losing...

He stopped and changed his train of thought, _to having Mal kill me_.

When the tears spilled over from those enormous brown eyes, he loosened his hold on her shoulders and with a resigned sigh, pulled her into his embrace.

River wrapped her arms around his waist while Jayne rested his cheek on the top of her head. He pulled her in more tightly and let her cry for a bit.

Then he leaned back and lifted her face to look at him. Softly he tucked that lock of hair back behind her ear and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Don't EVER pull a stunt like that again, OK?" he admonished. Then added with a small smile:

"Brat."

River looked intently into his eyes and saw so much more of him than she had ever before. She nodded silently, not trusting her voice or that what she said would come out as she intended it. Instead, she raised up on her toes, closed her eyes and offered him her lips.

Jayne was unable to resist. After all, she smelled like apples. He pressed his lips to her waiting ones and pulled her pliant body back to his own.

_I wonder if she tastes like apples, too?_ he thought.

As if in response to his silent query, she opened her mouth slightly, inviting him to find out.

Hesitantly he dipped his tongue between her lips.

_Oh God, she does,_ he realized and began to plunder her mouth in earnest. She clutched at him almost desperately and he plunged one hand into her hair, wrapping it around his fist to hold her there more securely.

Completely lost in each other and the moment, the frantically kissing couple didn't see Kaylee pause at the entrance of the cargo bay.

"Shiny!" she commented quietly, happy for them. Deciding to give them some privacy she headed for her hammock. Kaylee loved secrets.

Jayne was out of breath and out of his mind with desire to strip River out of her EVA suit, rip off her clothes and do to her what he did to the woman in his dream. He wanted to hear _her_ sigh and squirm beneath him as he plunged deeply into her. To hear _her_ chant his name as he pounded her into the mattress. To feel _her_ shudder in ecstacy in his arms. To finish what he didn't in his dream: pouring himself into _her_.

River.

Instead, he pushed her away roughly, wiped his mouth guiltily and practically ran off to his bunk. Once there, he shucked the EVA suit, threw it carelessly in the corner, sat down on his bed and buried his head in his hands.

_Gorram girl is gonna be the death o' me, one way or another,_ he thought miserably.

Back in the cargo bay, River opened her eyes and sighed sadly. She missed his warmth already.

Suddenly, she glanced up a the catwalk and noticed Book silently standing there, his face alternating between confusion, concern and fury.

"Just keep walking Preacherman," she told him, and darted for her own room.

"I do believe it is time for me to speak with Jayne on the particular tortures awaiting him in the 'special hell'," said the Shephard.


	6. Without a Paddle

In his bunk where he'd retreated to hide after the EVA incident and so thoroughly kissing River, Jayne heard Kaylee's happy announcement that the Captain and crew had returned.

That meant they were headed for the Casino Sky-Plex.

_Still got a few days,_ he thought to himself.

You need to tell them

What. The. HELL?

Now she seemed to be in his ruttin' head!

He waited; but, when he heard nothing else, Jayne pushed it aside as paranoia and laid down on his bed.

Better to hear it from you

"Gorramit!" he yelled and knocked everthing off of his night stand. He jumped up and up-ended the chair, then kicked it savagely. Roughly, he moved on to strip the covers and sheets from is bed and heaved his pillow at the ladder.

With a grunt, he reached uner the bed to grab ahold of the frame and flipped it, mattress and all. Still unsatisfied, he unmercifully kicked at the padding and flung the empty frame sideways across the room.

Dropping to his knees, he then pounded fiercely into the thin mattress, brusing his hands.

After a few minutes of this brutal punishment, Jayne sat down heavily on the cold floor, knees bent, and repeatedly beat his head back against the bulkhead beneath his weapons.

Then, Jayne Cobb--Expert Marksman, Tough Mercenary and Big Damn Hero dropped his head onto his forearms as they lay draped over his knees...

And started crying uncontrollably.


	7. Confession is Good for the Soul

"Shephard? I need a favor."

"Ah yes, just the...'man' I wanted to see. We need to talk."

"Can it wait? I got...I should...I need to talk with Mal and Zoe 'bout something and I could use someone I trust at my side. Can't hurt none if he's also a man o' God."

At first, Book thought that maybe Jayne had planned to tell them about the scene he had witnesses in the Cargo bay earlier. But when he looked more closely he noticed the man's red, puffy eyes and despondent expression.

_This went deeper than stealing a kiss from, or fondling, a crewmate, _he thought, worried.

"Of course, Son. Whatever I can do to help."

"Thanks," came Jayne's subdued response.

Together they headed for the bridge. Once there, Jayne asked Wash politely for some privacy so that he could talk to the Captain and his First Mate. A polite Jayne was such a rarity that Wash felt obliged to agree and left without so much as a word--also a rarity.

"Jayne?" Mal asked quite confused. He also noticed the big man's face but it was the defeated demeanor that he found unsettling. "You got something to tell us?"

"Yeah, Mal. Figured I oughta tell you guys before we got to the Sky-Plex. Jester and me--we got...a history."

Mal crossed his arms and licked his lips. "Bad blood?"

"Not...really."

"Now I've known that man near on 10 years and he never once mentioned you. Least not by name, anyways."

"He wouldn't Mal. See, when I said back in that bar on Santho on Uday that I didn't fight in no war? Well, that's not..._entirely_...the truth."

Zoe quirked her eyebrow finding that hard to believe. Unless...

"I did. I was a sniper. For the Alliance."

Mal, infuriated and enraged, grabbed Jayne by his neck and pinned him to the lockers. His anger seething. He slowly squeezed, choking off his oxygen.

Zoe drew her mare's leg and aimed it at the mercenary's head.

Trying to diffuse the situation and assuming this was why his presence was requested, Book laid his hand gently on the Captain's shoulder.

"Let him speak his peace, Son."

"I am going to kill him, _slowly,_" he snarled and indeed, an unresisting Jayne was turning blue.

"I'm not gonna stand by and let you do that."

Zoe then turned her gun on the Shephard. "Won't be able to do much if you're dead too, Shephard."

"You don't really want to do that. Captain, he has something he needs to say and he came to you like a man. If you are going to kill him, do so after you hear him out. Provided you are so inclined," Book implored.

Still furious, Mal released his grip and backed away as Jayne fought for air. Zoe also lowered her weapon, a bit.

"Hurry up and tell me so I can kill you."

Even though he could hardly breathe, Jayne chuckled morosely at his own words thrown back at him. Long ago when he had joined the two, he had also issued that ineffective threat. He could see now why it was not great incentive.

Confused as to why the soon-to-be-dead-man found humor in his words, Mal looked to Zoe, who seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. The tiniest of smiles was present on her face, however.

Then he realized what he had said. And he noted that Jayne had not even bothered to fight back. That alone intrigued him enough to let him continue.

Mal shook his head in silent amusement and took a seat. "Alright Jayne. We're listening," he told him.

Clearing his throat, Jayne continued.

"I was on a job, 'bout 9 years back. Took out a very bad man..."

"Very bad man," Mal repeated.

"...from 'bout 350 yards away," he went on as though he hadn't heard him, "In a tropical storm, at dusk, with a rifle and no scope."

Zoe whistled appreciatively in spite of herself.

"Yeah, pretty proud of that one. Anyway, fella saw it, or heard about it or somesuch and started talking me up--trying to convince me to join the war. He was buying, so I was listening as he went on about the nobility of the cause and how everybody would benefit. Didn't really interest me none till he stated talkin' 'bout how well it paid and all."

"I'm sure it did, you hun dan," Mal accused.

At Book's reproving glare, he snapped his mouth shut. Thankfully, Zoe looked ready to beat him to death again.

"That fella was...Jester."

"What the--?" Mal stood up, fist drawn.

"Liar!" Zoe yelled simultaneously.

"Captain, please!" Book intoned.

"Zoe's right: bastard's lying. Jester was an Intel Op for the Independence. An Officer."

"No way it was our Jester," she stated, seething.

"Might he have been a spy?" offered the Shephard, significantly.

"Ya'll mind if I finish this so ya'll can get to killing me. Or not. Whatever," Jayne said with a wave of his hand.

"**I** was the double op," he finished, eyes closed.

"What was that, Son?"

"Jester, he recruited me to join the Alliance in order to get a jump on the intended targets. Try to protect the higher-ups."

"Wu de ma," Zoe whispered.

Mal didn't know what to say.

"I shaved my head and beard, lost a ton of weight, changed my name, had one of Jester's budies hack into the Cortex to give me a history and protect my family...and marched into the recruiting office. Signed up like a good citizen to wear purple."

"After training they sent me out to quietly and secretly take out the high ranking officers and officials, just as Jester anticipated. Before I'd set up, I'd contact Jester and let him know my target. He and the others in Special Ops would then scramble to replace the target with a look-alike POW they'd captured somewhere else. Someone who could _pass_, from a distance at least, for the mark."

"They'd then relocate the target and his family, change their names...whatever it took to protect them. And me, so that I could keep doing my job."

Shocked, Book asked, "How long did this go on?"

"Little over 2 years."

"I'll be damned, " cursed Mal.

"No, I reckon that's my fate, eventually. See, near the end of the war I was sent to Shadow."

Mal perked up and arrowed his eyes at the mention of his home.

"'S'posed to to take out a Councillor and his family. Not even a sniper job. This was an assasination."

"What was his name," Mal asked, concerned he already knew the answer.

"Morgan."

"Morgan? Thomas Morgan? Someone DID assasinate them," Mal accused. "Alliance strung up the bodies outside of the city."

"I know. It was me."

"WHY?" Mal asked, teeth and fists clenched in anger. That man had been a friend to his family; Thom had given the heart-felt and inspiring speech that had convinced Mal to enlist.

He had idolized that man.

"It was a rush job, but a priority one. I got chauffered there, even. They wanted the bodies as trophies, hoping to dis-spirit the 'Rebel Faction' as it was called."

"Got dropped off 'bout 4 miles out and was supposed to hike in, wait till everybody was home and take 'em out, all at once."

"As soon as the shuttle lifted, I tried contacting Jester. Finally got him as I set up to infiltrate their home. Only, wasn't no time to act. Told him the Alliance plan if I couldn't find them--if I didn't do my job. He told me to follow my conscience."

"Once I broke in and had 'em all tied up...I just couldn't do it. They had a 3 year old boy and the wife...she looked at me with--pity, not fear. Threw off my concentration and made me feel all manner of stupid. So, I untied the Councillor and pulled him into the other room. I told him why I was there, and what I was supposed to do...and I told him who I really worked for.

_"So, you're the Scorpion," he said with pride. "You have done so much for our cause, to protect the leaders of the Indpendence Movement. I knew that the Scorpion worked for us; I just never knew who he was. I figured I'd be a target someday, I just never expected my family--," his voice cracked._

"Wasn't supposed to be that way, Sir. Wasn't my plan. Jester just ain't got no time to replace you."

Morgan nodded in understanding.

"Aw, hell, Sir. I ain't go no clue what I'm supposed to do. They got a strike force ready to come down and take out the whole city if I don't come back with your bodies."

"That's over 100,000 souls," the Leader said in fear and disgust.

"I know," said the Scorpion as he hung his head in sorrow.

"Well, Son, I can't have the burden of that many deaths hanging over my head. Not that many needless deaths. Most likely they'd put you down as well for not following orders. Which leaves the rest of my kind vulnerable--open to being picked off one by one without the Scorpion or Jester to protect them. Can't have that either."

Quietly and dejected the Councillor walked back into the room with the assasin close on his heels. He turned, pulled the knife out of the Scorpion's hip sheath, and cut his wife's bindings. Then the gently sobbing man grabbed her close and kissed her passionately. As they broke apart, the astonished killer could only watch as the Councillor quickly spun her around and slit her throat.

Cradling her body, covered in her life's blood, he looked over to where his son sat screaming in fear. With tears in his eyes, he looked back to the other man and told him, "I can't do it. God help me, I just can't do it."

The knife clattered to the floor.

"You **DO** what you **HAVE** to do, Son."

The Scorpion nodded once, picked up the knife and slit his throat, sending the man out as he had done his own wife.

I just couldn't do the kid, Mal."

"Well, someone sure as hell did."

Again, Jayne answered, "I know."

_After they bled out, the Scorpion bundled up the man and his wife, and gagged the boy. An interminable wait followed, which he spent agonizing over what do do with the boy, and a shuttle finally came to pick them up._

"The boy has not been eliminated yet," stated the Commander to his Op upon his returning to the cruiser and reporting to his superior.

"Is that really necessary, Sir? Could put him in the nursery. Raise him to be an upstanding member of the Alliance."

"Yes, that would be a fittingly ironic end to the traitor's lineage. To have his son end up being reared by a paragon of society, a top echelon member of the Alliance military. Maybe even a governor."

"Indeed it would be, Sir."

"But you had your orders, Soldier," he said accusingly. "You were told to exterminate the entire family. We have a message for the Rebel Faction and they need to know that we are ruthlessly committed to allying the worlds. That we shall tolerate no rebellion and deal harshly with those that choose to thwart out plans."

"Do your job, Soldier."

"Sir?" he questioned as the boy was brought before him.

"Do. Your. Job," the Commander repeated tersely as he pulled his own weapon and aimed it at the Op's head.

Shaking with fury and silently vowing to one day end that man's miserable excuse for a life, the Scorpion reached for his knife. He paused, and then drew his own sidearm.

But he just couldn't have that boy's blood on his hands. At least not literally.

So, instead he walked over to the now silent, but terrified boy, knelt down to eye-level with him and looked him in the eye, silently pleading with the 3 year old to forgive him for what he was about to do.

...and the Scorpion snapped the boy's neck.

"Was as quick and painless a death as I could give him. Commander and the guards walked out after and left me with the body. I think I stayed there for hours holding him...crying," Jayne added softly, his head down.

"Earned myself a promotion and a shiny medal the next day as they strung up the bodies, " he hold them, voice cracking.

"Serenity Valley fell a few days later. I was on assignment, and I knew that spelled defeat for the Independents, so I ran. I ran as fast and as far as I could. Burned everything, including my prints," he said, as he held up his fingertips as proof.

"Had to get lost. Got some reconstructive surgery to hide my identity, and headed out to the border worlds. Went back to bein' Jayne Cobb."

"Needless to say, both those run-ins--with the Magellan and Dortmunder? Well, I thought I was a dead man despite my changes. Kinda hoped that hun dan Commander woulda been there so I coulda snapped his scrawny gorram neck 'fore they took me out."

"Obviously, your secret is safe, or you wouldn't still be here, Son," Book reminded him.

"I know," he replied, regretfully.

"Shadow. Ain't that where you're from Mal?" the mercenary asked, already knowing the answer. He just wanted the Captain to say something, say anything, yell at him, beat him to a pulp, something other than look at him the way he was.

"Go on back to your bunk, Jayne."

"Mal?"

"You heard me. You too Shephard. Zoe and me, we got some things to discuss."

Not waiting to be told again, Jayne hopped up from where he sat telling the story, and sprinted for his bunk.

Book looked at them with a silent plea, but also complied.

Once they were out of earshot, Zoe turned to Mal and said, "Sir, you know what this means, right?"

"That the man we depend on to cover our backs got his training from our enemies?"

"Yes, well that, but..."

"That Jayne is a cold-blooded baby killer?"

"I guess you _could_ call him that, but--"

"That our tough and fearless Mercenary-for-hire has a conscience, and knew what that word meant?"

"That too, Sir, scary as it is, but--"

"But what Zoe?"

"Independent Intel and Special Ops are automatically graded at Lieutenant whether they go to OCS or not. Gorram hun dan would have been our Superior Officer!" she told him with a wry smile and shake of her head.

"Huh. Ain't that about a bitch? Well, best not remind him of that 'Chain of Command' thing."

"Probably for the best, Sir. How you planning on handling this?"

"I don't know Zoe. I honestly do not know."

"He saved a lot of lives there on Shadow, and with his other info. Probably would have saved a whole lot more if we hadn't put down arms so soon after."

"I know this. Don't make me feel any better that it took him his long to tell us, though."

"Whole lotta people would rather forget what they did in the war, Sir," she told him pointedly.

Mal just nodded at her in agreement and climbed down the stairs from the bridge, headed for his bunk.

That is where he found Jayne waiting, blocking his path.

"Mal, if you're gonna kill me, shoot me," came his familiar request. "Just be sure to take my body back to my Ma, like you did for Tracy. And don't tell her 'bout any of the things I done. Not the bad stuff, at least; which I guess is most everything, so make up some stuff if you have to. And you might not wanna tell her you was the one who did me; she'd most likely make what Niska done to ya feel like a walk in the park by comparison", he said with a sad smile.

"I ain't gonna shoot you Jayne. I ain't gonna kill ya. At least not today, and not for what you told us. I an't gonna say you done good--that man was a friend and his family deserved better. But Thom was right: You did what you had to do."

"I reckon so. Don't make it right, though."

He paused, then added, "Thanks Mal."

"For what? Not killing you? Might not wanna thank me yet; you're bound to do something stupid, still."

"Well, there is that, and I already promised not to do the other--but I meant for listening. I ain't told a soul that story. Not EVER. Felt good to get it off my chest."

_Gorram girl was right_ he thought, in wonder.

"Well," Mal said as he climbed into his quarters. "You know what they say, Jayne: 'Confession is good for the soul'."

And then he shut and locked the door.

Relieved and breathing easier than he had in almost 7 years, Jayne marveled at how the Captain had unknowingly echoed River, then shrugged and dropped into his own bunk.

"I told you," River said proudly. Proud of HIM.

"I know," he replied with a sigh and turned to face her. She had straightened up his room.

"You aren't the loudest anymore," she whispered, tears in her eyes.

"I'm glad. Means I ain't hurtin' ya so much now? Right?"

She nodded and ran to embrace him.

"Not sure how this is supposed to help my rep none. Can't nobody else know who I was and I can't be a 'Mercenary with a heart o' gold'," he said with a slight smile.

"My dragon slayer and knight in rusty armour," she corrected, grinning up at him with possessive pride.

Dejectedly he told her, "Don't feel all that noble 'bout right now."

River pulled his head down to rest on her shoulder and gently stroked his head.

So weary, so tired--Jayne buried his face in the hair on her neck, inhaled deeply of her fruity scent, and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He picked up River and sat down on the bed with her in his lap just as they were, and let her pet and soothe him. After a moment, he lifted his head and kissed her of his own volition--as if he had every right in the world to do so.

She sighed happily as their tongues met.

_How could something so wrong feel so good--so RIGHT?_ he thought. _She knows the things I done and she still lo-...she don't seem to mind none. Hell, what am I doing? She should be in a bughouse, and she's young enough to be my daughter._

Sharply, she broke the kiss and pulled back.

"NO MORE, please!"

"What?" he asked.

River climbed off of his lap and laid her hand against his cheek lovingly. 

"You've unburdened your soul today."

She climbed the ladder to leave and paused half-way up.

"Don't fill it with something _more_."

"Fill it with something _different_," she said as she closed the door behind her..


	8. Heaven & Hell

A/N: I have NO IDEA if this room actually exists. So, forgive me for fic-wanking this.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Something _different_? What the hell did that mean?" Jayne asked himself as he shook his head in confusion.

But rather than dwell on it right then, he decided that he needed his own DI-version. He wanted to come completely clean; he decided he needed a shower.

So, he grabbed his towel and his kit and headed for the door.

Once inside he turned on the jets and let the hot spray soothe his tense shoulders and aching muscles. He let the stream wash the dirt and grime. He let the steady rhythm drown out the pain and the memories, temporarily at least.

Thankfully, Kaylee had recently upgraded the water reclaimation system with some salvaged parts and they were full up on water. He planned on being in there for a while.

His head under the running water, Jayne didn't hear the lock being picked or the door open quickly. The steam hid the intruder well. He missed hearing the door being relocked and the sound of clothes being hastily shed. He didn't even budge when the shower stall door slid open.

He _did_ jump about 8 feet straight up when he felt a cool, soft hand touch the scar on his chest.

"Ta ma de! What the hell are you doing in here? You almost gave me a heart attack, girl," he accused.

River simply answered, "Filling you up."

Jayne tried to back up but the faucet and the controls dug into his back, preventing him.

River bit her lip and moved closer.

"Gorramit, River. You can't be here," he said plaintively.

"But I am," she pointed out.

Yes, she was. He looked at her: alabaster skin, enormous brown eyes, dark hair covering one breast but nothing else impeded his view. She was a water nymph, there to tempt him. River pressed against him fully, seductively.

"Only a dream," he chanted. "Only a dream. Only a dream. Only a dream."

On her toes now, her mouth a mere hair's breadth away from his, she whispered, "But, you aren't asleep."

And then Jayne smelled the apples.

He willed his cock NOT to respond, but he knew it was going to happen. He could always count on his John Thomas to do EXACTLY what he didn't want it to do, WHENEVER he didn't want it.

River wrapped her hand around it as it stood at attention between them, and with her other hand she pulled his head down to meet her lips.

He was lost.

And he knew it.

Jayne eagerly plunged his tongue into her waiting mouth, unable to fight it anymore: this undeniable, unyeilding, unexplainable desire he had for her. But it wasn't completely unexplainable...she made him feel worth something.

And by God, she wanted him. It was good enough.

None too gently, he hauled her up against his dripping wet body and turn to press her back against the side of the stall. With one hand he cradled her bottom and with the other he wrapped her left leg around his waist.

Breaking the kiss after many moments of stroking her silky skin, he leaned back to look at her. Eyes wild, hair sodden and flat, lips swollen from his unrelenting mouth--

She had never looked so beautiful.

Not sexy. Well, yeah. She was that. But right now she was the most beautiful woman in the 'verse.

"Can you see me?" she asked him.

"Seein' a whole lot o' you right now, baby girl," he responded waggling his eyebrows. "Must say I'm likin' what I am seein' too!"

"Not relevant. Can you see ME? Just the girl."

Jayne cocked his head to the side and let his eyes search her face.

"Yeah. I reckon I do," he replied softly and lowered his head to reclaim her lips.

Suddenly the water turned icy cold. They both shrieked in outrage and broke apart to move out from under the freezing spray.

"Guess we been in here a while," he said with a naughty smile, but reached for her again.

When the comm crackled, they both turned to look at it, confused.

"Sorry Jayne. The Shephard is lookin' for ya. Said something about a special hell and he didn't care if you were a hero or had a big damn gun. Don't let him see River," Kaylee warned.

He knew is was humped. Hard. And not in a good way.

"Wait? How did she...?" he started. _Holy Hell. Kaylee KNEW!_

He looked at River. "I didn't tell her," she quickly denied.

Hurridly, they donned their clothes.

A few moments later, Jayne stood poised to open the door.

"Wait!" she said sharply, and she pulled him down to kiss him passionately. "Remember: you are MY knight in rusty armour," she smiled.

Returning the smile, he said, "That I am." And he cracked open the door.

JUST in time to see Book pass.

"Ah, Jayne! When you get a moment..."

"How 'bout now?" Jayne offered as he squeezed out of the room and shut the door firmly behind him.

Book responded, "Now is as good a time as any. Come with me please. I need to speak with you about something important. Something _special_," he said ominously.

Jayne obediantly followed him to the cargo bay where the Shephard hoped he could speak with the man in private. Simon was the only one there.

"Have either of you seen River?" he asked.

Jayne opened his mouth to say 'no', but the preacher beat him to the punch.

"I believe she was in the shower," he said and look at Jayne accusingly.

_Oh hell,_ Jayne thought. _I am a dead man._

"Right. Thanks!" Simon called back over his shoulder as he turned and headed in that direction, completely oblivious to the fact that Jayne's hair was still wet.

Booked spun around quickly to face down Jayne.

"You will cease this misbegotten activity _immediately!_" he intoned. "She is young-- more than half your age!--and she is impressionable. She has no idea what she is doing by consorting with you, but YOU should know better. She could not possibly imagine the consequences of your actions!"

"Shephard--"

"I thought I would sermonize you; scare you with a description of the special level of Hell that you will burn in. Detail its firey tortures...even mention the brimstone."

He narrowed his eyes. "But I am not so sure that would register with you Jayne. It wouldn't scare you significantly enough to deter you," he said, disgusted. "See, I don't think that would be _real_ enough for you to comprehend. And I suspect that the demons you live with haunt you far worse. I suspect you already expect to burn in hell."

"Shephard--"

"So instead, I'll leave you with this to mull over..."

Book then got right up in the bigger man's face undauntingly threatening:

"I _WILL_ tell her brother. I _WILL_ tell Zoe. I _WILL _tell the Captain."

"Shephard--?"

"Let me tell you what I will NOT do. What I will not do is defend you or protect you when--YES WHEN! they decide to castrate you and toss you, still breathing, out of the airlock. And you KNOW that they will do it."

He then glared at Jayne as he attempted once again to speak in his own defense. "Don't bother," he snapped as he clutched as his Bible, turned on his heel and strode away.

_NOW,_ Jayne was worried. One might even say that he was afraid.


	9. The Way We Were

Jayne had been avoiding River again.

She was miserable; he was stoic. She annoyed the hell out of everyone; he locked himself in his room. She started ripping lables off of the food again. He cleaned his guns and tried to forget the taste and smell of apples.

So when Simon actually approached the man he thought of as an 'untrained ape' for his help, actually came to his room, hat in hand (so to speak)...Jayne knew he had to deal with her. And soon.

While most everyone else slept, or tried to, an exhausted River sat in the common room ripping the pages out of books. Simon looked on helplessly and tried to reason with her.

"But mei-mei! You like these, the fairy tales. They are just like the ones Mother--"

"LIES!" she yelled at him accusingly. "All just..._lies_," she sobbed then buried her face in her arms, crying.

He had comforted his sister upon waking, free of the torture. He had held her as she cried in fear chanting 'hands of blue'. He had soothed her panic after they were both woken by the nightmares. But she wouldn't let him near her this time, even after he managed to drug her.

This time, something was _different_.

Simon was actually glad to see Jayne when he stepped into the room. Jayne silently acknowleged the doctor, jutting his chin forward. For once, the worried young man easily let someone else take over, and left quietly. He just didn't want to see her like this, and wasn't going to question the man, as long as it helped his sister.

Softly, Jayne sat down on the very edge of the sofa and placed his hands on her shoulders. He turned her to him gently.

Despondent and still crying, River crawled into his lap and twisted her hand in his shirt.

Her tears were tearing him apart. _That's why I gotta do this,_ he told himself. _Can't slay no dragons if'n I'm dead._

"River, baby girl, you gotta listen to me..."

She sobbed loudly then stuffed her fist in her mouth, shirt and all.

"This has got to stop. This..._US_? It just can't be. Mal or Zoe, or even your uptight brother finds out--they're gonna space me. Won't even bother with a bullet."

"See, I..." he paused unsure of what he wanted to say next. "This here's the second best job I ever had. I get me a good cut on jobs that pay, my own room, and free reign of the kitchen. These people, they like me. Ok, maybe not like, but they tolerate me. And they need me, whether they's liable to admit it or not."

"I guess what I'm tryin' to say is...I'm finally a part of something, again. Something that matters; something that ain't just me trying to get one over on the next guy. Although, that is usually what we do..."

"You just gotta understand, this here's my home now. This crew is like fa--," he choked on the words.

"This crew _IS _my family. I get what Mal was trying to say now. And you're a part of that family."

He pulled her away by her shoulders to look her deeply in the eyes. "But we can't go on like we was. Can't nothin' come o' that."

Watching the tears stream down her face made him falter again for a second, agonizing on what he was to say next. He tucked that lock of hair behind her ear and continued after taking a deep breath.

"But no more games. No more hugs, no more touches. No more kisses, dong ma?"

"No more secrets?" she whispered forlornly.

He could only nod.

"I'll protect you any way I can...fight to the death for ya, if the need arises. Just like I will for any of 'em. But we can only be friends from now on. This is how it's gotta be," he said firmly.

Jayne stood up and placed her back on the sofa where she promptly buried her face in the cushions. He stroked her hair gently and bent down to kiss her head one last time. As he straightened, he took a ragged breath, and his eyes were bright with unsed tears of his own.

He turned to leave and she lifted her head to call out his name.

"Jayne?"

"Yeah?" he answered with a sigh, looking at the ground, not daring to turn around and face her.

"You said this was the second best job you've ever had. What was the first?"

"Dragon-slayer," he told her her sadly, his heart in his throat. Then he left the room.

Fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she cried, even though his answer gave her some small measure of hope.

On the stairs, no one heard Kaylee as she too cried, silently--heartbroken for them. And she wondered if she would end up doing the same as River: crying over a love lost before it ever had a chance to grow.

No one heard Book gently close his door, now unsure of the part he played in that heartache. He was very glad to be going to the Abbey soon. He needed to meditate and reflect on his reaction (over-reaction?) to his discovery. He needed to be sure that what he did, what he said, was not due to other factors--secrets of his own.

Most importantly, no one saw Mal as he looked on from the shadows of the other doorway. His mercenary had suprised him for the second time that week. And he was not at all sure he liked that.

Jayne Cobb was turning out to be a completely different man than the one he _thought_ he had hired.


	10. Tragic Heroes

Two days after the heartbreaking scene, Kaylee found Jayne on the same couch where River had cried her heart out. She took a moment to remember going to get Simon, who carried his finally unresisting sister back to her room--where she'd been ever since. Simon had asked Kaylee what was wrong, why SHE was crying too. And she _almost_ told him. But he'd have never understood. He couldn't; not yet.

Back in the present, Kaylee looked at the man as if he'd grown another head.

Jayne, man ape gone wrong, was _reading_...a book.

"Afternoon Jayne!" she greeted him brightly, after the shock of it wore off.

He grunted in return.

"'Spect we'll be at the Sky-Plex sometime tomorrow."

"Yep," came the terse response.

"Cap'n's got us some excitin' crime lined up."

"'Spose so."

"Ya think we'll get a chance to see the casino?" she asked him.

"Dunno."

"I bet it's as shiny as that party on Persephone, what with all the people and the clothes and the chandelier," Kaylee said dreamily.

He only grunted again.

"Have you seen River?" she asked shyly.

"Nope."

"Simon says she ain't doin' so good," she told him with a worried frown.

"Guess he'd know."

Jayne sighed, put the book down and continued, "Look, Kaylee...just STOP, ok? I don't know how you knew--"

"Saw you after you fixed the septic pump." 

"...but it don't matter none--WHAT?"

"Saw you kissin' her in the cargo bay after you two came in from fixin' the pump. I thought it was real sweet."

"Well, as I was sayin', it don't really matter none what you thought cause nothin' happened. Much," he amended. "It was all manner of dumb and it ain't gonna happen again. Girl's just gonna have to come to grips with that."

"She ain't just a girl, Jayne."

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Ain't a little girl and it's high time people stopped treatin' her like she was. By the time I was her age...wasn't much I ain't done, if you know what I mean. She knows her mind. Well, she knows what she wants, anyway."

"What about what I want? Like some ruttin' peace and quiet!" he roared.

Kaylee got up and headed toward the door as if to comply. She turned and looked at the scowling mercenary.

"Sometimes a body can't help who they love, and out here in the black...that's something special. Something worth fighting for, no matter the risks," she told him.

"It just has to be" she whispered, more to herself than him, and stepped out.

Jayne looked up at where she had been standing and snorted.

_Love? Whatever. Jayne Cobb don't love nobody but my Ma...and maybe Vera. But I certainly ain't gonna fall for some moonbrained girl, half my age, no matter how beautiful she is or how delicious she smells,_ he thought to himself and huffed.

As if to belie his statement, however, he went back to reading the book he had discovered that morning--one hand holding it open and the other on the pillow, his fingers splayed to completely touch the tear stained fabric.

The book, was _Romeo and Juliet_.

After a particularly quiet and morose dinner, Jayne took his turn in the kitchen washing dishes. River had yet to come out of her room.

And yet, as if by thinking about her, she appeared at his side.

She reached to take the pot from his hand, but he pulled back hesitantly. Silently he questioned her presence and her intentions.

"Work," she said simply, and grabbed the pot from him to start drying it. 

After each item he'd wash, she'd take it, dry it and put it away. Jayne wasn't entirely sure if where she was putting them was where they were supposed to go, but he didn't see the harm in it.

Finished, Jayne dried his hands and turned to leave the room.

"Please stay," she pleaded softly.

"River..."

"Dragons came in my dreams. We're too close Blue Hands--I can feel them, circling."

Jayne nodded, somewhat understanding. He pulled the tattered book from his pocket and sat down at the table to read.

Behind him, River curled up in the chair and finally fell into a restful sleep.

A while later, Mal came back through to refill his coffee and noticed her.

"Doc's sister doin' any better?" he asked.

"I reckon so. She helped me with the dishes."

"Really now? I s'pose that's a good thing. Maybe now I can have my crew back, bright and shiny."

Jayne nodded. Mal then glanced again at the sleeping girl--who he noticed was wearing something a might bit peculiar:

A stained, cut-off, tattered, cut and mended Blue Sun T-shirt.

Mal shook his head, unsure of what to think about it, or of what he saw two nights back.

So instead of thinking, he turned to leave.

"Set it right, Jayne."

"What?"

"Set it right," he repeated and left without getting his coffee.

"That's what I did, Mal," Jayne whispered.

Angrily, Jayne shut the book and slammed it down on the table.

River roused fom her slumber and asked him softly what was wrong.

"Gorram idiots got themselves dead, that's what!" he told her. "What kind of moonbrain wrote this piece of go se?"

"Shakespeare."

"Yeah, well..."

"It certainly is tragic--a sad tale of two lovers. But at least Juliet HAD her Romeo," she said accusingly.

Eyes narrowed in suspicion he confronted her, "Oh, I get it now! You leave this by my door? Thinkin' it would make me change my mind?"

"NO! But I wish I'd thought of it," she threw back with a hiss.

"Well, this ain't Earth-that-was. This ain't no gorram fairy tale. When we talked of dragons, we meant it metaphor--symbolically. I ain't getting myself spaced on account o' you and your looney ideas. That ain't a good reason. I ain't goin' out that way. Not without a fight!"

As he turned to head for his bunk, she yelled, "At least Romeo had the guts to TRY!"

Jayne growled back, dangerously, "I gots guts aplenty, little girl."

"Not from where I'm standin'," she said snidely, mimicking his tone, his accent. "He DID fight!"

"Go to hell," he snarled. "I just ain't willin' to get 'em spilled on something as stupid as lo--AS THIS!" he yelled back as he hurled the book across the room.

They both stomped off in a huff.

_Well. That didn't work,_ thought the Shephard as he walked back to the sanctuary of his room and finished packing his meager bag.

He missed Jayne creeping back into the room to pick up the book, smooth down the cover, and put it back in his pocket.


	11. High Rollers

A/N: Part of this was inspired by another ficwriter (Jayne liked it, rather than River...you'll know what I am talking about when you get to it); but I cannot find the link to the story ANYWHERE. If you know the Author and story PLEASE comment so that I can give credit where credit is due.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

After dropping an uncharacteristically morose Book at a nearby Abbey, Mal gathered the crew in the cargo hold and explained the situation.

"So it looks like our part of the job is gonna take another day before it gets to us. That means we are gonna have to dock Serenity and mingle with folk."

"Aww, Cap'n. Do we have to?" questioned Kaylee, who only wanted to look, not stay.

"Yes, um...does that seem a wise course of action considering that where we are going is likely to be teeming with vacationing Core and Central Planet dwellers? Many are bound to be VERY well-connected to the Alliance and I feel..." began an obviously wary Simon.

But Mal cut him off with: "Not gonna be a problem, Doc. Jester got you a right spiffy disguise; just gotta get Jayne to bleach yer hair."

"WHAT?" Simon exclaimed, clearly horrified. Now, whether it was at the thought of being a blond or of Jayne doing the actual hair job was questionable.

With a smirk the Captain told him, "You are such an easy mark. Don't worry, there's no need. Cortex connections are strictly limited to stationary units and are tightly monitored. There is some kinda dampening field to restrict wireless access. Jester already has a call into Mr. U and they are gonna see what they can patch together to keep suspicious folk from being nosey. You two will be secure," he added confidently.

"Hiding in plain sight," River whispered.

"But still, Mal...I think--"

"Ain't no thinkin' to it. You and your sister are coming off the boat with the rest of us. Can't have Serenity orbiting the Casino Sky-Plex for an extra day. Thing like that WILL make people suspicious; suspicious folk talk. And besides, I am sure little Miss Kaylee would just love to have you escort her to see one of them fancy shows they got playin'. Something called 'Less Miserable'?"

Simon tried to correct him. "Les Miser-"

"Whatever. Here is a key card for each of your rooms. Don't lose 'em; they are your 'get in free' pass to just about everything. And before you ask: No, Jayne. Whores is extra, but cheer up--whiskey is included," he explained.

"And last but not least, here are some chips courtesy Jester. Gamble, cash 'em in and go shopping...whatever. Just try not to spend it all in the first few minutes."

Wash hugged Zoe to him and said, "Oh, I don't think I am going to let the little wifey get near the tables if what she told me about the rooms having a bathtub big enough for FOUR is anywhere near true!"

"Expectin' company?" Jayne sneered and volunteered.

"I will hurt you," Zoe reminded him with an ominously arched brow.

"Well now, Simon--you, Kaylee, me and Jayne will all take turns totin' your sister 'round for the next two days. You look like you could use a break; I know I would if she was my kin." Mal hesitated. "So, before you protest, do not mistake this for a request. You and Miss Sunshine take the first 12 hours. Team up or split it as you see fit. You could take River to see the circus animals, or to a show," Mal suggested.

Simon thought about this and said with a sneer, "I will probably want to medicate her before leaving her with Jayne. She has been quite agitated around him lately. Wouldn't want him to be injured again. But then again..." he trailed off.

River cringed when he mentioned the medication, but no one seemed to notice.

"Never listens," she muttered under her breath.

"What about you Cap'n? What are you gonna do?" asked a now cheerful Kaylee.

"Me? I got a bar to find. One highly populated with Alliance sympathizers, if I'm lucky," he answered bobbing on his toes.

Zoe smirked and asked, "Sir, celebrating U-Day in style, as usual?"

He grinned maniacally.

Wash raised his hand, and casually mentioned, "Is that something that you WANT to be doing, Mal? Won't that bring the 'unwanted attention' from 'suspicious folk'?" He even used the air quotes.

"Heh! Jester told me I couldn't start no fights. Didn't say I couldn't try to finish one! Besides, this time I KNOW I got Jayne to back me up from the get-go...what with his heartwarming revelation and all."

Several confused glances were exchanged, as the others had not been let in on the secret yet.

But Jayne growled in displeasure then mumbled something about the feng le girl and not listening no more. He glared at her and thought, _Glad that's been dealt with._

River frowned at the term he used, returned the look with a sarcastic sneer and rolled her eyes.

"So, everyone's got a little under an hour to get what they need and head out. Kaylee?" Mal pointed up to the catwalk, "Inara put a box on the landing with some stuff in it for you and River to look through. Help her find something to wear."

"Sure Cap'n! Where is 'Nara?"

"Looks like she found a bunch of _respectable_ clients here," he answered snidely.

"Well, that's a real good thing," Kaylee said with a smile. "I know she ain't had none in a while. CLIENTS, that is," she amended hastily. "We all need to work." She looked around for support and several people nodded.

"Right. Didn't I give you stuff to do?" Mal countered, clearly displeased at the reminder.

"Yes Cap'n Grumpypants. 'Mon River. Let's see what's in the box; I bet there's something in there that'll make us both look pretty. We'll take it to your room."

And with that, everyone dispersed.

Once in the room, Kaylee picked out a white cotton peasant style top for River, and told her how pretty it would go with her pink skirt. There were also a pair of sandals that almost fit, but River shook her head, declining.

While Kaylee continued to dig around, River bunched up a piece of black material, and a smaller red piece, that had fallen out of the box and hid them beneath her.

Kaylee gasped and held up a simple pair of silver hoops, then put them in her friend's ears.

"Well ain't that downright shiny! Now, you get dressed and pack a bag. No tellin' what we'll need here, so look through the box again, if ya want. I gotta get some stuff from my bunk and the engine room. And I should probably change, huh?"

Kaylee held up an emarald green silk A-line dress she rescued from the box and asked dreamily,  
"Think Simon wi--will this look good enough for the show?"

River smiled at her hasty correction and they giggled like school-girls.

"I guess anything's better than my coveralls. Oh, and do something about yer hair, 'K?" Kaylee admonished as she left.

"'K!" River mimicked brightly.

River put on the white shirt, which dropped off one shoulder, and the pink skirt, then poked her head out of her room just as Jayne was rushing by.

Holding out her hairbrush, River called to him, "It won't behave. Has a life of its own, but won't let me cut it. Can you help?"

"Gorramit, girl! What do I look like..?" he began. _Whole ruttin' ship thinks I'm a hair dresser, _he thought angrily.

"Please?" she pleaded looking up at him with those enormously expressive brown eyes.

"Ta ma de," he growled.

Jayne dropped his bag, stomped over and opened the door completely, as a precaution. He didn't want her trying anything again that would make his John Thomas follow her to Sihnon and back, and he wanted to make sure anyone passing could see what he was doing was completely innocent.

Onlyafter they sat on the bed, and once he got his hands on her hair, Jayne was having _anything but_ innocent thoughts about River. All he could think about was having that hair trail down his chest after her lips like the girl in the dream. The water nymph sprung quickly to mind, as did how she looked with her hair soaking wet while in his arms. He wanted to wrap his fist around the bulk of it and drag her head back for his mouth to explore that swan-like neck and let his lips trail to her...

He shook his head trying to clear his thoughts. _No sexin' up the craz--the Doc's sis,_ he reminded himself. _My decision...don't want to get spaced. Right. Concentrate on gettin' the job done._

Jayne took the time to separate River's hair into sections, and the began to gently, but firmly, comb out the knots. He started with the ends, and slowly worked up to the roots where there were no tangles. Then he brushed out that section completely. He did this for another section, and by the time he got to the third, River was making some unusual sounds.

"I ain't hurtin' ya none, am I?" he asked, his voice tinged with only the slightest bit of concern.

River choked out, "No! Just...don't stop."

Jayne shrugged and continued brushing out the whole length of her hair. _Hope she don't ever cut it. Shines like Obis...Osbi...that black glass when it's cared for,_ he thought, and continued to mentally count to 250 like his Ma used to do with Matty.

_Holy hell...is she **purring**?_

Without stopping his ministrations, he noticed that she was breathing very rapidly, her eyes were closed, and she had the bedsheet wadded tightly in her fists.

When he heard her breath catch and start coming in little gasps, he almsot dropped the hair brush. He saw how her body was held tight as a drum, and instead of pushing her away, like he knew he should do, he gathered her hair in his fist, pulled her head back to rest on his chest and whispered seductively in her ear, "Like that do ya Baby girl?"

So much for his resolve not to touch her. So much for 'no more secrets'.

The warmth of his breath and the tone of his voice was enough to send River over the edge. She opened her mouth and Jayne panicked, thinking she might scream or moan really loudly. So he clamped his hand over it, and just watched, fascinated, as she came.

_Gorram girl got off on havin' her hair brushed!_ he thought, still in awe and smirking with manly pride.

Proud and in awe until she bit his hand, anyway.

"Effect...not just...result of act," she told him as she struggled to catch her breath. "Players, intentions--all important to the game."

And that's when it hit him.

"No games, River. Remember?" he gruffly reminded her, and himself.

"Understood. However, you have the sanctuary of sleep and dreams with which to find release...it was only fair that I had this. Now, be good Jayne. Do you need a restraining device?" River finished with a smile.

"What? For wha-, who-...oh yeah. For yer hair," he answered, wiping his hand on his pants leg.

_Ai ya! Now I smell like apples,_ he cursed shaking his head. But he took the tie she offered, and finished off her hair by pulling just the front bit back and braiding it.

After he wrapped the brightly colored piece of elastic in her hair, he pushed her away and ordered, "Go on now, git!"

"This is my room," she reminded him with an impish grin, then mimicked him. "You git!"

"Oh, right," he huffed as he got up, grabbed his stuff and headed off of the ship.

_I DEFINTELY need a drink,_ he told himself. _And a woman..._


	12. Bar Room Blitz

Mal caught up to the fleeing Jayne pretty quickly

"Where you headed, Jayne?" he asked.

"Gonna get some whiskey and a cigar, Mal," the mercenary snapped. "What I need most, though, is a bit o' trim. Figure that oughta be easy enough to find here."

"Reckon that's gotta wait. See, we got us a bar to find," the Captain reminded him.

"Awww, Mal," Jayne whined, even though he was really pissed.

"Huh. Figured that'd make you happy, Jayne. Losing your edge?" he taunted.

Incensed, Jayne practically roared, "Hell no! I just...gorrammit FINE. Just don't expect me to do no 'Male-Bondin' or the like. I'm only going for the liquor and the inevitable brawl. Guess I can settle for some gruesome violence insteada gettin' laid. For now." he added, muttering.

Mal clamped a friendly hand on the big man's shoulder. "Mighty big words you're using lately. Some might say the Doc's sister's been rubbin' off on you," he told him with a smirk and strode ahead in search of that bar.

"Shut up Mal," Jayne barked and stomped off behind him.

For some odd reason, Mal kept chasing off any woman that approached them. He kept ordering drinks, but didn't let Jayne get cozy with a potential bed-mate.

And Jayne was getting highly annoyed.

So when some foolish hun dan lifted his glass and called for a salute to the 'Mighty Alliance', he was actually tempted to throw the first punch himself.

Mal laid a hand on his arm to stop him, and rose to confront the rough-looking and very drunk purple-belly sympathizer.

Jayne didn't hear what words were exchanged, but after the guy punched the Captain, all hell broke loose. And he was happy to be wallowing in hell.

The Merc lost track of how many people he'd laid out but he really didn't care. Mal was right: this was exactly what he needed.

When he felt a firm hand grab his shoulder, Jayne spun around, fist drawn back, ready to knock in some teeth.

"Jayne, didn't expect to find you here," commented a smartly dressed Jester.

"Gotta back up my captain," he smirked, jerking his head toward Mal who was holding his own quite well.

Jester surveyed the scene and shook his head in frustration...and amusement.

"ALRIGHT! Everyone listen up! That's enough. THAT IS ENOUGH!" Jester yelled. Most paused in mid punch.

"This here's a business, not a battlefield. Take that gos se elsewhere."

"But this...Browncoat," spat the sympathizer, "He--"

"I don't rightly care who did what or who started it. All I know is, I'm finishing it. So, as a courtesy, how 'bout every body settle back down and the next two rounds are on the house?" he offered.

The bar erupted in cheers and the people who had just been engaged in knocking each other out went back to drinking as if nothing had happened.

"Well, thanks for ruining a perfectly good brawl between folk," Mal said with a lop-sided, busted lipped grin as he gingerly limped over.

"Least I could do for a friend," Jester responded playfully. "So, when did you pick up this piece of luh suh," he asked jokingly, cocking his head towards Jayne.

Mal thought for a second, then answered, "Been well over a year and half now, ain't it?"

Jayne grunted and shrugged. He rarely kept track of dates.

"Best move you ever made, Malcolm," Jester told him, seriously.

"That remains to be seen," Mal also said seriously.

"Yeah, well...seems I remember telling you not to go starting any fights, either."

With mock surprise Mal countered, "I am shocked that you think I would do such a thing."

At Jester's disbelieving stare and Jaynes snort, Mal continued, "I didn't start it! Well, I didn't throw the first punch. That's gotta count for something, right?"

The nattily dressed man huffed and smiled, "Yeah, it does. And you rarely do throw the first punch, Malcolm."

Jayne smiled very widely, "No. He just likes to fight like hell to have the last one." Then the Merc added grumpily, "So, we gonna drink now or what?"

"Indeed we are my friends," Jester agreed and called over a barmaid.

Drinking whiskey after whiskey, Mal and Jester reminisced over their days fighting the Alliance. Jayne sat by listening half-heartedly and tried to catch the eye of a sexily clad woman across the bar. Her red silk chinese style dress hugged her every ample curve, and the black stitching sparkled in the dim light. She was tall, had long blonde hair, green eyes and was very big chested.  
Everything River was not.

Just as he looked to be successful, Mal clapped his hand on Jayne's shoulder pulling him around trying to get his attention. The woman swiveled around in her seat and struck up a conversation with the man next to her.

"Gorramit Mal, what?" he snapped.

"Might tetchy, ain't ya? Thought knocking in some heads would cheer you up."

"Ain't what I wanna be knocking," he murmured crudely.

Mal looked him in the eye and asked, slurring a bit, "You sure you wanna be doin' that?"

"What the--? Of course I do! Told ya what I was after when I first got off the ship."

"S'pose I had my fun," the very drunk Captain sighed. "Best leave you to yours, if you can find it. Jester and me...we got some business to take care of. I wanna hear his side of what happened on Shadow."

"Guess I owe you a bit of an explanation, eh?" Jester asked after he downed another shot.

"That you do, my friend."

Jayne had had enough. "Whatever. You two sit around cryin' in your beer--"

"Whiskey," they chimed together.

"...While I go about finding myself a little DIversion," Jayne continued with a leacherous grin.

Mal raised his glass in a mock salute. "Good luck with that," he said frowing slightly. "Won't work. I tried it," he told the Merc cryptically, slurring even more.

Jayne looked at him, confused. Then he shook his head in disbelief and headed right for the blonde.


	13. The Best Defense is a Good Offense

A/N: To all fellow NFL fans: Yes, I know I reversed the saying. I did that for a reason.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Simon? What do you mean you 'lost her'?" a worried Kaylee questioned. "She ain't in her room?"

"No," the miserable brother responded. "I've looked everywhere that I could on my own."

Kaylee huffed and then continued, "I swear. I go shopping for what? 2 hours...and she's already disappeared. Did somebody snatch her?"

"I don't think so. I took her to see some of the animals and she seemed content for a while. Then she got agitated over something--kept saying 'not the same' over and over. Then she ran out of the mini-circus screaming 'offensive interference!'. I chased after her but once we were back in the casino, I lost track of her. She's amazingly fast."

"Oh. Well, I'm thinkin' we should get the Cap'n," the perky girl offered.

"I thought of that as well. Only there are more than 2 dozen bars and restaurants on this station. I tried a few, but gave up when everyone started looking the same."

Hanging his head, Simon told her, "I don't know what to do now."

"Hey! How 'bout we go see that Jester guy? Cap'n said he was in charge, or the owner or some such. Maybe they gots cameras and can help us?" she suggested, rubbing his head to soothe him.

"Kaylee, you are brilliant!" he told her as he grabbed her hand to go.

And for that he earned a smile bright enough to rival a hundred suns.

Inara was surprised at the knock. She was not expecting anyone for several hours. Rising gracefully, she answered.

"River, honey? Is everything alright?"

"No one in immediate danger; no threats of imminent violence, if that is what you mean. I have come to request your assistance. Professional assistance," the young woman told her.

At Inara's shocked expression, River waved her hand dismissively and clarified, "No. Not personal assistance. Under no circumstance will you service Captain Daddy or any of his crew."

"His pride wouldn't even allow him to ask," she added softly. Clearing her throat and not giving Inara a chance to ask for an explanation, she continued. "What I need is...information. Advice."

Inara shook off her confusion, and said, "Come. Let us sit down. Would you like some tea?" she offered graciously.

Yes, Inara was intrigued.

Realizing that she needed to appear as innocently as possible, River smiled sweetly and said, "Yes, please."

As the Companion elegantly poured, River told her of her dilemma, choosing each word carefully. In doing so, what she expressed seemed almost mechanical.

"I spent most of my adolescence at the Academy. While there, fraternization was discouraged...both male and female. My interpersonal relationship building skills are not fully developed, especially in how I associate with members of the opposite sex. Watching my Brother has made this deficiency more than apparent."

Inara cringed a little, without actually scrunching up her face and ruining her elaborate make-up, "Yes, he is a bit--stiff, isn't he? I imagine that, like you at the Academy, he was so focused on his studies, and on becoming a doctor, that he didn't have much of a chance to develop those skills either."

"To reiterate: Simon is a boob. But for some inexplicable reason, Kaylee does not always recognize it. And when she does, she is quick to dismiss or forget his earlier mistakes," River stated, shaking her head ruefully.

"Our little mechanic is quite enamored with the handsome doctor. Speaking of which: does your brother know that you are here?"

Not seeing any point in telling a lie, River answered, "No, he would not condone my visit. Not because it is you, as you are the one person he finds to be a good influence on me. Simply because he would not approve of my purpose."

Intrigued again, the beautiful woman asked, "Which is _what_, exactly?"

Taking a deep breath, the inquisitive young woman told her. "I was hoping that you might have...literature. More specifically: texts that I could borrow in order to learn what I have missed."

"Oh, River, sweetie...you haven't missed anything! You are young; there is always time to discover your own--"

River cut her off. "NO! I mean, I appreciate your attempts to reassure and placate me and assuage my discomfort. Much exposure has determined that scholarly study would be more effectual. Not experimentation."

With a slightly naughty smile, Inara replied, "Do not dismiss the advantages and pleasures associated with personal experience. It is quite empowering to discover what feminine methods you might be proficient at. Flirting can be...fun."

"Doesn't appear to be with Simon and Kaylee. Sometimes it appears...painful," she returned with a grimace.

"Yes, well--" and then a thought hit her. "Do you have someone in mind, River? Is there someone who has caught your eye with whom you would like to attempt to...frateranize with?"

River thought about this for a split second, but did not feel that the Companion would be very receptive to the truth as yet. So, instead, she opted for the lie.

"No. There really isn't anyone appropriate or of interest, is there? I believe that I just wanted to feel more like a...normal girl. I wanted to catch up on what I have missed without the added pressure of finding a receptive partner."

With a small smile, Inara rose gracefully and sorted through some of her trunks. In the one under the divan, she found what she was looking for.

"I am not terribly sure how quickly you read, but I suspect that it will take you several months to get through these," she told the girl whose eyes widened in anticipation. Inara was offering numerous volumes of what appeared to be text books.

"At _our_ Academy, we spend several years as an apprentice, studying constantly, before we are ever allowed to engage our first client. These," she said pointing to the tomes, "were my apprentice manuals. I was only slightly older than you when my apprenticeship ended," she finished with a far away look in her eye.

Shaking her head slightly as if to return to the present, Inara cautioned, "Without skilled tutors, regular instruction, or simultaneous and subsequent practice, you should not expect to perfect the arts of reading body language. Nor those of seduction. Do not be discouraged, however. If it is simply information you seek, this is where you will most likely find it. And a young woman should always have access to having answered whatever questions she might have. There is no excuse for ignorance if you are given the tools with which to fortify yourself," she added firmly.

Inara steadfastly believed this as well. After all, there were hundreds of years of failed attempts to teach hormonal teens to 'Just Say No' from which to learn. Education and protection were the best tools with which to equip headstrong adolescents.

River smiled happily, and walked over to the chest. Choosing two books, she turned to the gracious woman. "Thank you Inara. You have no idea how much this means to me. Must fortify the defense by creating a strong offense."

Something in the way that River spoke alerted the woman, trained at reading people, that there was more to this situation than the girl was willing to admit--especially since she was not sure what the whole defense/offense comment referred to. As an afterthought, Inara quickly rummaged through a bag by the bed and, holding something, she held her hand out.

"River? Just in case. It is effective for 48 hours; take it before any sexual activity. ANY," she admonished seriously. She felt obligated to include the drug, since she was so adamant about her belief in protection.

River met her eyes and Inara knew then that she was indeed up to something. The girl took the vial with a shy, yet naughty smile.

As the satisfied girl left, Inara worried her bottom lip and hoped that she had done the right thing. She was not concerned about Simon. The man is a doctor; he should have no idiosyncrasies regarding sex. SHOULD NOT, but...this was Simon.

It was WHO River might have interest in, that bothered her.

_Ren ci de Fo zu_, she silently cursed. _I hope that I am wrong._

After all, River could not have had enough time to meet someone new. And the only other available choices meant...crew. One was her brother, and the girl may be a little strange, but Inara hoped she realized that was taboo. Another was a preacher under a vow of celibacy. Yes, he could be tempted to break such a vow, but Inara did not think the girl could get past her issues with his hair. And yet another was married to a woman that would likely snap the girl in half if she caught her trying to seduce her man. And then him too, for good measure.

That left Mal and Jayne.

In spite of the sliver of unreasonable and irrational jealousy she felt at the first option, she honestly prayed that it _was_ Mal. The other was just too unimaginable to contemplate.

And appallingly icky.

Kaylee decided she would try River's room one last time before joining Simon in phase 2 of Operation: Find River.

The couple just didn't want to bother Zoe and Wash as they enjoyed their MUCH needed and VERY belated honeymoon. But no one knew in which bar to locate the Captain or Jayne. Having only the two of them made sweeping the sky-plex a daunting task; but it was one they were determined to undertake. They also never found Jester, but he must have left word to cater to Serenity's crew because the security personnel helped them sift through the multiple dozens of cameras. Unfortunately, it proved to be a fruitless endeavor.

So, when the mechanic knocked gently she was slightly shocked to hear River's quiet but happy, "Come in."

Kaylee opened the door to find her friend sitting on the bed, legs crossed and reading a huge book that was balanced in her lap.

"Whatcha doin' here? You know Simon 'bout had a heart attack when you ran off. We been looking for ya."

"Needed defensive coordinating with offensive maneuvers," she replied then looked up from her book. "Cannot, WILL not, lose him to better trained, more skilled competition. Must study playbook in order to score."

Confused at the analogy, Kaylee asked, "What? And who you gonna lose to wha-- OH! You mean _Jayne_. You two worked everything out?" she asked hopefully, and very proud of herself for figuring out the River-speak.

"Inevitable as death, but not as of yet. Goal will not be able to withstand superior offensive tactics. Must block opposing forces."

"Yeah, well...wishin' your brother would wise up, too. I just **know** that all men are not as dense as these two. We sure can pick 'em, can't we?" she asked laughing.

"So it would seem. May I suggest YOU taking the initiative? From our previous conversations I could detect no hesitation on your part to do such with any other object of your affections; why do you not do what you do best?" the suddenly wise-beyond-her-years River offered.

"I may just have to," Kaylee answered with a resigned sigh and then grinned. "Whatcha readin'?" she asked trying to peer into the upside down book. "Oh, my!" she blurted and then giggled.

"Mind if I borrow that when ya get done? Maybe there's somethin' in there that might loosen up the Doc," she smirked.

"Here," River replied handing her the other one. "I am quite sure that Inara would not mind me sharing these with you. It was very informative and took me 62 minutes to read." The young woman sounded vaguely disappointed in herself.

"Shu muh? An HOUR? For the whole gorram thing? Holy cow--there must be close ta 500 pages in here!"

"474, to be exact. You'll like the pictures. I did," she offered with a crooked smile.

"I am sure I will sweetie! Well, I am gonna go put this here book in my room. It's heavy. Gotta go meet Simon and call off the hunt, too. Show's startin' soon and I don't want to miss it this time."

Just before she shut the door, Kaylee quickly called back, "I'll be sure to thank 'Nara when I see her next." Then the door closed with a click.

Forming her mouth into the instructed shape, copying the picture precisely, River thought wickedly, _You will not be the only one._


	14. Not the Same

In the woman's room, Jayne found himself getting very perturbed.

The over-sexed woman kept trying to _kiss him_.

Diligently he would turn his head time and again, ducking and bobbing trying to keep his mouth away from her lips.

_I may not have to pay her,_ he thought as he pulled back once again. _That don't make her anybody special, though._

Frustrated, she gave up and zealously began undressing him instead. Oh, she was a bold one, sexy as all hell, and obviously very experienced. The blonde..._What was her name anyway?_ he asked himself. _Patty? Sally? Shelley? YEAH! That was it: Shelley._

Shelley eagerly dove her nimble hands into his pants and hunted for her hidden treasure. Finding his cock, she purred seductively and grabbed a hold, firmly working him.

Only, his John Thomas was not cooperating.

Undaunted, she yanked his pants down and dropped to her knees. She practically swallowed him whole in her attempt to arouse him. Her tongue was definitely talented, but it was having no effect either.

After trying for several long minutes she gave up with a sigh, sat back on her heels and looked up at him.

"I've never had this happen before," she explained, perplexed.

Jayne snapped his replied, "Me neither!"

"Well, I've never had any complaints before," came her quick retort. Softening her tone, she went on to suggest a solution. "If you'd like, we could go see an acquaintance. He is--"

The frustrated Merc cut her off, "I ain't sly...got no time for a 3-fer either."

Smiling slightly at his defensive tone, she continued, "As intriguing and arousing a picture that your interpretation has presented, I was not proposing such. You have mistaken my intention. This man is very well-connected and has practically unlimited access to many, shall we say 'unorthodox' and usually illegal, medications. Perhaps there is something that might assist us in making this more satisfying for us both?"

He sneered at her. _People and their gorram 'solve anything' drugs,_ he thought irritated at the suggestion. He didn't need any drugs...

"Of course, it could be because it is not ME that you desire to bed. If that is indeed the case, I suggest you go find this 'River'."

At Jayne's shocked-speechless look that clearly meant 'What the hell are you talking about and how do you know about HER?' Shelley clarified her statement.

"You called me that a few moments ago. You kept saying 'River, no' and 'River, please'. I thought it was an endearment and that you were not sure what you wanted from me. I can clearly see, now, that this was not the case. Go find River. It is her you--"

Horrified at his mistake and sick of the whole situation here in the suddenly oppressively hot room, Jayne snatched up his pants and hurriedly left...desperately trying to button them.

In the elevator, he almost gagged. He reeked of Shelley's cloying perfume, and it was making him nauseous. When the door finally opened, Jayne sprinted to his room, stripped off the offensive clothing, and tossed them in the trash. Still smelling it on his skin, he jumped into the shower.

Relaxing somewhat, the big man tried to reason out the problem. Shelley had been everything he normally looked for in a bed parter. And the woman had skills, he had to admit...so he couldn't lay the blame at her feet.

He had finished quite a bit of whiskey earlier in the bar with Mal and Jester. Yes, that could have been a factor: too much alcohol.

He was tired after the brawl, and hadn't slept well in days. Another perfectly good explanation: exhaustion.

Of course there was the heart-to-heart with Mal and Zoe, dealing with a recalcitrant River, getting a lecture from the Shepherd, and then seeing Jester again after so long. Another valid reason: guilt.

He had not been asked to play a single game of ball with the crew since he started hiding from--no, since he _secluded_ himself in his bunk in search of peace. There had been no weights with Book since before the man's warning. He had also not been needed to go with the Captain and his First Mate on any of the most recent runs. Excellent scapegoat: depression.

Check, check, and check twice again. Text-book situations that would explain Jayne's...impotence.

It certainly was not that Shelley did not smell like apples; that she wasn't as graceful as a ballerina with the softest of skin. It wasn't because the bold woman's advances were not of the hesitant, but innocently-eager, kind instead. Is was not that the buxom woman's breasts were not the right size, and it wasn't because the sexily clad siren did not wear ill-fitting hand-me-down clothing. It couldn't be that a willing and lucid Shelley was not a little off her nut; and was simply not because she didn't speak in confusingly elaborate, or vaguely short, sentences. It just couldn't be possible that the beautiful blonde was inadequate because she did not have hair that was long, dark and lusciously full, tempting his hands to touch it at every opportunity. And it was _definitely_ not because her green eyes did not shine with merriment and total acceptance of him...were not thickly lashed and enormously expressive pools of the richest brown that he found himself willing to drown in.

It just was not possible that Jayne couldn't get it up because Shelley was not _River_.

"River," the agonizing man whispered softly as he lay his forehead against the cool tile of the shower stall, trying to allow the tepid water to wash away his frustration.

As if to prove to him just how wrong he was in his explanations and denials, his John Thomas was at full attention now--simply after the mere mention of her name.

"Gorramit!" Jayne cursed in anguish, and he fiercely punched the wall with his fist.


	15. Head Over Feet

A/N: This part of my fic was originally entitled "Interlude"; so if it seems familiar, you may have already read it. This part is also EXPLICIT. You have been warned.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

_Don't see no reason why anybody gotta stand watch while the gorram girl sleeps_, Jayne thought to himself. _'Sides, Hunan Hold'Em is my favorite game. Nobody will even notice me gone._

So, the Merc proceeded to play several hands, secure with his assumption that he would not be missed. He was still reeling from his unsuccessful encounter earlier in the evening, as well.

As it stood, however, he was losing pretty badly. He folded the hand dealt him this time rather than play it out and risk losing AGAIN on the flop, turn or river cards.

_'Dead Man's Hand', ain't ever worth playing,_ Jayne thought and, as a gunslinger himself, he preferred not to jinx things. Glancing across to the next table, he noticed River silently picking out numbers for Roulette – right ones. Eight in a row, it seems from the way she smiled triumphantly and how she held her fingers. He grabbed up his remaining chips.

"Ta ma de. Mal is gonna kill me," he grumbled and walked purposefully to retrieve her and return her to her room.

As he approached she pleaded, "Please, no. Let me stay. Mathematics and probabilities, recognizing patterns of outcomes is soothing. Head not so crowded, so LOUD, when analyzing statistical…"

"Alright! Alright, gorramit! If I let you stay will you stop your yammerin'?" he asked gruffly. She gave him a small smile and nodded her assent.

"Well, since I'm here," Jayne said to no one in particular, walking to the table. He plucked a 10 credit chip out of his hand and prepared to place it on number 7.

River shook her head and whispered, "Favorable outcome instead from choosing historically unlucky number. Return on investment more than compensates for previously bad rivers."

He paused and placed the chip on 13 instead. As the dealer waved off more bets and the ball circled, Jayne mistakenly worried what bad things she could have done in the limited time she's been out. _Couldn't be too much. She ain't been too weird lately, and somebody woulda made a fuss if she had gone and done something typically moon--ODD, or creepifying._ Forgetting the final card in Hunan was called the RIVER card, he got mentally side-tracked by other 'bad River' options.

She was wearing a previously unseen by him, long, straight, black skirt--and it had a slit clear up to mid-thigh.

_Girl sure has beautiful legs,_ he thought to himself. _Even in them too-big combat boots of Kaylee's._ His gaze traveled up the girl to linger on the red tank top with spaghetti straps that emphasized her chest. _Huh. Not quite as small as I was thinking._

He then moved on to admire his own handiwork…her hair pulled back in the very front from temple to temple in a tight braid that left the rest of it to fall free. She was gifted with lusciously sleek, beautiful, full hair that was as black as night when it was cared for. Small silver hoops borrowed from Inara's box, and a tiny smudge of tinted lip gloss completed the picture.

_Wonder what Simon would think of that? Suppose it is a good sign that she is doing something so girly as putting on lip gloss._ Jayne then became fascinated by her lips, and exactly where he would enjoy having them.

"Painted lips. Not a Companion, not for hire. Just a girl who thought you might like it," she said softly.

Her words jolted him out of his reverie.

And the ball landed on 13.

"Hell yeah!" Jayne exclaimed with a grin. He winked at River and she smiled.

When he raised his eyebrows questioningly, she responded with, "Number of people in our family. Number on Serenity at this exact point in time."

As Jayne hesitantly placed a chip on 9, River bent in half, baring one leg almost completely, and leaned down to examine a scuff on the toe of her boot.

Jayne's leacherous gaze fixated on that thigh. _Sexy, muscled, smooth thighs. Thighs I could just imagine..._

She used the hem of her skirt to buff out the scratch, then straightened and took a deep breath causing her breasts to practically strain against the fabric of her tank. His own breath caught and he began to imagine one of the things a 'Bad River' could do.

_She boldly walks up between his spread thighs as he sits in the elevated bucket chair. Then, smiling wickedly, she turns, places one foot on the lower rung, swings her free leg over his and straddles his lap…her ass pressed provocatively against his cock. As if that isn't tantalizing enough, she starts to squirm and rub against him brazenly, then winks and throws a seductive glance over her shoulder. Completely enthralled, he lifts her heavy hair and wraps it around one meaty fist; then he begins to place wet hungry kisses up the length of her neck…_

"Number 9!" the dealer announced, and Jayne shook his head to clear the erotic image from his mind. _An erotic image of the cra--the...River. What am I doin'? Sabotagin' my own plan, that's what_, he thought, frustrated.

As he collected his winnings he looked over to River to see about another number.

Only River's eyes were glazed over.

_Oh shit,_ he thought to himself, muscles tense; ready to intercept her before she did something dangerous. Or stupid. Or both.

Then he noticed that, as her eyes closed, her head was slightly tilted and her fingertips were lightly touching her neck where he had just imagined his mouth. And as quickly as he thought he saw it, it was as if none of that happened. Her eyes were focused and open and her hand hung idly by her side. Thinking he must have imagined it, he jerked his head to motion for her to come closer. As he pulled out the chair next to him, he rethought his plan.

_Cap'n would have a gorram fit and end up beatin' on me for letting her out and having her down here. And, am I gonna end up in the ruttin' lockup for allowing someone her age to--_

"Girl has no fear of Daddy. He wants what's best for us all. Also, natal day that arbitrarily denotes the passing of yet another year among the living has recently come and gone. Can be a legal patron, but I have no funds."

"I didn't get a cake," she pouted, pursing those glossy lips.

Missing her birthday kind of made Jayne feel badly and he wondered how Kaylee had missed it _She is still a little off after that incident with Jubal._ he reasoned. Then he got sidetracked by angrily thinking about how he _missed out on doing my GORRAM JOB, 'cause I am NOT a heavy sleeper._

"No, Jubal was not a lion. But he would have killed my dragonslayer, and this was not a desirable situation. Slayer looks better in red, but not that much red. Could not allow for this possibility. Restricted the flow of oxygen to your bunk, to below optimal, which resulted in continued slumber and grogginess when awakened."

"Could not allow the hunter to slay my knight in rusty armour," she mumbled.

"Huh," was all he could muster at that point, already used to her pet names for him, while being only slightly freaked at her ability to read his mind. Again. But at least she was LEGALLY allowed down here.

She skipped the last 2 steps over to the chair and bounced up into it. Trying VERY HARD not to think about anything, he handed her 5 of the 10-credit chips in his stack. Then he whispered, "Might not wanna be too obvious. Just try picking even or odd…or maybe red or black for a bit."

She shivered when his breath caressed her cheek, but smiled conspiratorially, nodded and leaned in to whisper back, "Understood and comprehended. Will comply."

Spontaneously, and much to his own confusion, Jayne kissed her cheek and said, "Happy Birthday."

After she placed one of her chips on red, and he placed one on odd (how fitting that they chose things that brought the other to mind), River turned her head to look at him.

"Easier to breathe when someone can see the real girl sometimes. Not broken; you know this. I just need time to mend--no more needles, no more sleep. Need to wake up and need time to adjust and adapt to new surroundings and situations. No power in the 'Verse will be able to stop me."

They won again and Jayne thought maybe they oughta deliberately lose this next hand. River placed a chip on the green 0 and Jayne placed one on a foursquare.

"No power in the 'Verse, eh? Bet I can, little girl. Ain't no 90 lb piece of fluff gonna be able to best me at anything. Well, I can't kill with my brain, but then we don't really know if you can do that, do we?" he taunted.

"Would you like to find out?" she asked cryptically. Hurrying on, she then said, "Challenge accepted for future test of skills and abilities. Not at present. Not for a while. Daddy said no touching guns, but he didn't say I couldn't use knives, whips, staves, swords, lances, a bow…" River continued naming off possible weapons.

Ever the competitive one, Jayne nodded and told her how much he was looking forward to the day when he could whoop her ass. Then he started thinking about that firm, round ass and how it had settled in his hands once...how it now fit so snugly into that chair.

_Lucky ruttin' chair,_ he thought to himself.

Trying to shake himself out of that train of thought, he focused instead on her challenge. It was an easy enough diversion on which to focus.

_Gonna have to take that sweet little ass down a peg or two. Can't have her doin' my job better'n me. May have to let her gain the upperhand once or twice, though. Don't wanna break her spirit now that she seems more normal. Well, as normal as you can get for a cra--for having her brain cut-up. A sexy-as-all-hellfire girl--who's gonna find that mouth of hers otherwise occupied if she don't stop what her lips and tongue are doing to that straw. Wu de ma…the way her eyes are rollin' back, enjoying each sip. Where the guay did that drink come from anyway? Oh zao gao! No, please don't lick your lips, please don't lick your lips, PLEASE DON'T LI—-what I wouldn't give to be in my bunk right now. With that delicious pair of long, strong, shapely legs barely bein' covered by my sheets, or by me...and with that riot tangle of hair entangled with our arms. GAHHHHH! No sexin' up River! Shepherd is surely gonna know and is gonna see me spaced if'n I do that._

And they both lost that spin.

_Need to stop thinking about how I wanna do those things I told HER not to do,_ he thought ruefully.

"Let's go to the craps table," he told her gruffly.

River's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands excitedly. She quickly gathered her chips and waited patiently for Jayne, who was actually tipping the dealer. She was so very proud of him.

"Sow's ear now," she said quietly to herself. "But soon enough, he will be a silk purse that I will never be without, and will go with everything."

They worked their way through the throng of people and Jayne picked a table. When River didn't protest or suggest another, he placed his chips in the rack to claim their spot.

"New Shooter, new shooter," one of the dealers called as he tried to hand the dice to Jayne.

He placed his bet on the passline but said, "Naw, let the little lady here give me--_Wu da me_…give **them** a toss."

And while she threw, he trusted her to let a 300 credit bet ride the entire length of her turn with the dice. On the final throw, she looked at him through her lashes and gave him a knowing smile. After the dice settled and the crowd around the table roared their approval, Jayne wrapped one arm loosely around River's waist and pulled her closely to his side.

_For protection,_ he justified to himself. _Can't let her get snatched up or wander off._

River was practically purring again.

When the next shooter asked her to blow on the dice for good luck, Jayne thought his John Thomas was surely gonna pop right then and there. Thankfully, the tables were a convenient height to hide his arousal. In another display of good fortune, he found himself so occupied with watching her lick her lips, purse them prettily, and blow softly on those dice that he forgot to place a bet.

Good thing as the dice came up 'snake eyes'.

River stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear that his next bet should be relatively big. He shivered at the feel of her warm breath on his ear; at the feel of her lips as they grazed his earlobe when she lowered herself; at the feel of her bosom curiously pressed against his arm. As he made the suggested bet, all Jayne could think of was the 'Special Hell' lecture and how Book had warned him about having carnal thoughts about this girl; and his threat to expose him once he had witnessed some of them. Yes, he had tried to ignore her on more than one occasion after that.

_But, ti wo de pi gu, she ain't a child! Not how she's been acting recently. Not after her stunt in the shower. Especially considering how she's playin' me tonight. Girl seems up to something...something no good. The 'Special Hell'? Wasn't a big enough threat to scare Mal, sure as hell ain't gonna work on me. The airlock? Now that is an altogether different threat. I believe that one._

It was the reason he decided to nip River's attentions towards him in the bud. Or, at least attempted to.

The dealer called the roll and paid off the winners. Jayne pulled her in more tightly to his side. Then, realizing they now had close to 3700 credits, he kissed her soundly. On the lips.

_Even after I split it with River and give everyone some pocket money, that is more than enough to send home to Ma for her to get Matty to a real doc, and to get some real medicine. I can get some of those good hand-rolled cigars, and a couple of bottles of the premium whiskey. Vera's been needing some of that good gun oil, and I could sure use a new scope for her. It's enough that I can even get a bit more choosy with the trim..._only, the thought of an eager, busty, painted up whore didn't appeal to him as it usually did.

Shelley had proven that to him, effortlessly.

"Damn airlock," he cursed under his breath. _I should definitely buy River a cake since she was sad not to get one. A layer cake with real chocolate icing...and a nice present, too. If she hadn't been here, I wouldn't have won nothin',_ he admitted silently. _Wonder what she might need. Or if there's something that she wants. Besides me..._

River turned to him, her fingers still caressing her bottom lip where it had recently been pressed between his, and told him: "Girl NEEDS an anchor to moor her and keep her steady as she heals. Needs her slayer to protect her from the Hands of Blue and nameless dragons. Does NOT need to be coddled and babied as Simon is want to do. I _should_ probably ask for something impersonal like a novel or a diary. Jewelry might make Daddy mad, although hairclips would be nice--but only if you were to place them in my hair for me each morning. Would like for the dragonslayer to give the fair maiden a birthday dance. What she WANTS, desperately, is to be embraced, touched, filled, made to soar, and is going to ask for another kiss very soon. But, I will settle for a card and some candy if you cannot decide. Of course, you _could_ just win me that enormous pink elephant in the purple tutu with your skill and accuracy as a marksman…even though I am better."

With a smirk she added, "Also, I would seal and disable the airlocks, easily disarm Daddy and Zoe, bind and gag Simon and thank Inara profusely for lending me her 1st and 2nd year apprentice manuals. If you were to ever make the choice, that is." 

And with that, she flounced toward the midway-style games.

Jayne tried in vain to organize and process the things she just said; and even without being cryptic genius-speak, it was confusing. Of course, it was also enlightening, comforting and exciting as hell.

He quickly followed her, caught her and swiftly pulled her away from the midway into a darkened alcove. Jayne gently tucked that wayward strand of hair behind her ear with his calloused index finger and delicately traced the edge of her jaw, pausing only to tilt her chin up.

"Aw, what the hell," he whispered hoarsely as he lowered his head toward River's in surrender.

Her lips parted slightly in anticipation, and Jayne's firm mouth slanted across hers. _So much for no more kisses,_ he thought, and Jayne Cobb _did_ kiss women on the mouth. THIS woman. It was something he was sure of, and not for the first time that night--not for the first time that MONTH, for what it was worth. And it was all because of her. Only for her.

He honestly intended to stop there but her tiny hands grasped tightly to his shirt holding him to her and she loosed a small soft moan. The sexy sounds coming from deep within her throat was his undoing. One hand snaked up to her hair and he wrapped his fist in the curls, pulling gently but firmly on the dark locks to tilt her face up, and causing her mouth to part more. This provided his tongue with access to the warm, wet, welcoming heaven he just knew, remembered, that he would find there.

His other strong arm wrapped around her back and firmly pulled her fully against him. Jayne tried to go slowly, to draw out the experience and to make sure he didn't overwhelm or scare her with the intensity of his passion. If he was gonna do this, give in to her, then he knew he would have to fight to hold back.

But River was having none of that.

She left one hand where it was grasping tightly to his shirt, but let the fingertips of the other graze the length of this neck to his nape, and then grabbed tightly a-hold of his hair, increasing the pressure of his mouth on hers. Her tongue danced around his, then began an intense duel, brazenly daring him, skillfully enticing him, into letting go completely.

When he did, it was deliciously overwhelming and River struggled to breathe from the force of it. _Girl is **NOT** broken!_ she thought happily to herself. 

The young woman wasn't sure if it was the lack of oxygen, or if it was Jayne's hand as it skimmed up to cup and caress her breast that caused her to sway with dizziness. But it didn't matter; Jayne had thoughtfully maneuvered her backwards to press against the wall, which helped to support her on wavering legs. His fist was still engulfed in her silky waves, his palm firmly cupping the underside of breast and his calloused thumb brushed over her covered but puckering nipple. She shuddered in delight and he pressed his pelvis against her.

He was finding it difficult not to grind himself against her softness. But River had no such problem. She lifted her leg and stretched it through the slit of her skirt to wrap it around his haunches. Her strong thigh was grasping his hip, her heel (boot mercifully discarded) digging into his ass urging him on--silently promising him more, closer, harder, and deeper.

Jayne's palm abandoned the soft, firm mound and instead trailed it downward. With her leg hitched up like that he discovered that her skirt would provide sufficient cover for his wayward hand, and he was anxious to take full advantage of the easy access it provided to her swollen, aroused center.

_Hot damn! Girl's not wearin' any knickers,_ he thought to himself.

Without breaking their kiss, he risked a glance up to look out of the nook and it seemed no one even noticed them. But, then again, the dark spot was probably designed and created for such clandestine encounters as this.

With a small smile he focused again on the 'no knickers' delight. Quickly, he lost any and all attempts at thought when her own hand slowly migrated downwards, leaving his shirt. Jayne was completely engulfed in need when her warm, strong hand snaked into his pants to encircle his member.

He loosed a sharp hiss when she began to caress and fondle him. _No problem this time,_ he thought with a smirk.

His breaking their kiss provided River with time; time that she took to pull in several lungsfull of air. Jayne buried his face into the crook of her neck and fought to restrain himself. But the pleasure of her smooth hand sliding up and down his now throbbing length clouded his judgment and his mouth firmly latched onto her neck. The suction was enough to curl her bare toes. It elicited a breathy sigh of contentment and an audible moan from her. She began keening with pleasure after that.

_That_ sound alerted him enough for him to realize that what he was doing with his mouth was very likely to leave a mark.

An obvious 'Someone's been makin' out with River' kind of mark.

The silky hand that was not in his pants slid from his head to his slip under his shirt, and upwards to trace the fading scar she found there. She ran her hands through his springy curls and she firmly grabbed hold of the ones over his heart.

Jayne's fingers were bringing her so very close to the edge but she fought to say it, she had to tell him, "My neck, your chest…now we match. Branded me as I did you."

She struggled to breathe again and forcefully whispered, "You are forever my dragonslayer."

And with that she eagerly threw herself over the precipice.

Jayne's fingers left her swollen nub, plunged into her warm, slick folds and her muscles spasmed tightly around them. The enraptured man lifted his head to watch her face as she climaxed--he noticed how she bit her lip to keep from crying out, and how her lashes fluttered against her cheeks; how her nostrils flared with the effort to breathe; and how the fine locks around her hairline had worked themselves free from the braid to curl delicately, and were now damp as a result of their exertions.

Slowly River's eyelids raised and when her gaze regained focus, Jayne found himself wallowing in the adoration and worship he saw reflected back at him. Her legs were quivering from her release and he held her ever more tightly, unwilling to ever let this precious gift go.

Suddenly, she stiffened and let her leg drop.

As she freed her hand from his pants, and wearing a more disappointed frown than Jayne, she said, "Daddy is the seeker and we aren't hidden well enough to win the game. Cannot make it back to base together undetected. Must continue this in privacy. Must practice skills I have learned."

She kissed him soundly and promised, "I'll be in your bed...naked."

Quickly, she snuck out of the dimly lit alcove and headed--unseen--away from one VERY angry looking Mal.

Jayne felt like someone dumped a bucket of ice water on him, shocking him into reality and cooling his ardor, focusing his mind on evasive maneuvering and self-preservation. Unfortunately, it was having no effect on his burgeoning erection. He shoved one hand into the front pocket that did not have any chips, hoping to play it off as more chips if he were spotted.

Luckily, Jester chose that exact moment to appear; and whatever he and Mal began arguing over, it distracted the captain long enough for Jayne to quietly slip away.

On his way to the back staircase and out of eyesight from Mal, Jayne noticed in a gift shop window, a mother of pearl inlaid jewelry box. Inside it, a dainty ballerina twirled wearing an iridescent tutu. _BINGO!_ he thought and detoured into the shop. Once inside he could hear the music it played; music that was familiar, but he was unable to name. It reminded him of his childhood and happy times.

He took the stairs 3 at a time with her shiny, prettily wrapped gift tucked safely under his arm. Finally, he arrived at his door.

As the key card slid home, he briefly regained some sanity and wondered how she got into his room before him, and he asked himself just what in the hell he was doing. "I am NOT supposed to be sexin' up the Doc's sis," he mumbled, again. "Gonna get spaced for sure now," he smirked as he opened the door.

But when he agreed to call it off, when he had told her 'NO MORE', she was not lying on his bed, with her naughty bits barely covered by the thin ribbon of sheet and looking at him like he was her Christmas/Birthday/Valentine's/Unification Day gift hand-delivered, coated in chocolate and topped with real strawberries.

_A guy could get used to bein' looked at like that,_ he said to himself as he walked slowly toward her absorbing, savoring and memorizing the view. Then he softly sat on the edge of his bed.

River giggled as she lifted herself onto one elbow and said, "Not Unification Day. Daddy won't celebrate with gifts. Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Birthday, and Valentine's day gift. Very much like the idea of chocolate, but Kaylee won't share strawberries. I don't want to share either." Her eyes flashed fiercely for the briefest of moments as she placed her hand on his chest over the scar…and practically growled, stating unequivocally, "MINE."

Jayne smiled at that and said, "Happy Birthday, Baby Girl."

He then brought forward the gift he had hidden behind his back and handed it to her…almost hesitantly; he was wary that she wouldn't like it.

_Well, if she doesn't, I guess I will have to just find her one that she does like,_ he thought to himself. Which surprised him. He mentally shook his head in disbelief over how he, Jayne Cobb -— Big Damn Hero and Mercenary -— did not flinch, pause or protest at her possessive comment. In fact, he was practically glowing.

_And when did I start buying gifts for gir--women,_ he corrected himself. Especially gifts that were romantic and slightly sentimental. Who was this Jayne...waiting, practically holding his breath for her to let him know what she thought of his gift?

_"Paper Saver,"_ he chuckled as he watched her carefully open each fold so as not to tear the wrapping paper. And just before she opened the last fold--the last fold before her gift was revealed--she looked up at him and gave him the biggest, most beautiful smile he had ever seen. It lit up her face and made him so very proud to have been the one to make her happy.

_Ah, gos se._

Realization dawned hard on Jayne Cobb that, once again, his Father had been right.

After one particularly disappointing pre-teen love breaking his too often offered heart, his Pa sat him down, patiently explained the facts of life to him (in detail…_Thanks Pa_), and promised him that someday he would meet an amazing woman. A woman that would torment him relentlessly, plague his thoughts, and who would situate herself irritatingly under his very skin. A woman that would chase him mercilessly, pursue his affections vigorously and would never stop until **he** had finally caught **her**. And when that happened...he would know it, and it would be worth the struggle.

His Pa warned him to be prepared for that 'cause _"once a Cobb goes head over feet, well, ain't no power in the 'Verse that would keep him from her." _The senior Cobb promised that he'd end up swearing to move heaven and hell in order to remain at her side, to protect her, and to keep her happy.

Jayne's attention was brought back to the present when she gasped. She delicately and reverently touched the box, and tears welled up in those huge brown eyes. Tears that spilled over and filled him with uncertain fear.

She slowly lifted the lid and stared in awe of the figurine. With eager eyes she handed it to him and asked to make it dance. Jayne turned it over and wound the key several times...and the softly played notes of "Beauty and the Beast" filled the room. River placed her hand against his cheek and said enthralled, "How appropriate. I am Beauty to your Beast."

She closed her eyes to listen to the music, then suddenly jumped up and said, "Birthday dance."

"I ain't a dancer, gorramit," he grumbled. "Don't know how, Baby Girl," he protested, but reluctantly got to his feet while she eagerly pulled on his hands. 

_"Anything to keep her happy," _his father's voice taunted.

_Wu de ma! Shut up, Pa._

She stepped close, laid her head on his heart, and wrapped her arms around his waist. Jayne lowered his own arms, trying desperately to forget that she was completely naked, and clasped his hands behind her back to pull her tightly to him. While the tips of his thumbs fondled the ends of her hair--tickling him, he placed his cheek on the top of her head. As the music played, they swayed softly together.

River made a mental note to teach him the steps.

Jayne wasn't sure how long the music had been over, but he finally noticed it was silent when he felt River's hands creeping into the back waistband of his pants and cupping his buttocks, pulling him closer to her. She lifted her head to look at him and was grinning like a fool, happiness obvious in her eyes. He pulled her hands away, bent slightly, placed one hand under her knees and lifted her into his arms.

Then he unceremoniously dumped her on the bed.

She giggled and feigned trying to get away, but Jayne grabbed hold of one slender ankle and hauled her back down the bed. River hooked one foot behind his knee and pulled forward, which caused him to lose his balance and land on top of her.

"Much better," she said as she crooked that same leg over his back and ripped the shirt off of him--buttons popping and pinging against whatever surface they hit. When she had it off, River's voracious mouth went for his nipple. After suckling the peak for a moment, she tugged on it forcefully with her teeth and bit him slightly.

That spurred Jayne into a fully aggressive mode. His girl was a biter; he liked that.

He wrapped his fist in her hair again, and dragged her head back. The suction from her mouth emitted an audible 'pop', and Jayne growled, "Two can play at that game."

So, while he was only slightly disappointed that she was already naked and he wouldn't get to undress her, he was supremely satisfied to finally have access to all her 'girl parts'. And as he latched onto her breast, she emitted a sigh of contentment. She wrapped her arms around his head to hold him tightly there and arched her back to give him better access.

Jayne switched to the other breast and his teeth grazed her nipple. River hissed, but pulled him to her harder and arched her back more deeply, trying desperately to get him to swallow her whole.

He lifted his head and chuckled, "Take it easy, Baby Girl. We got all night."

"No!" she cried. "Dam needs to be mended, needs little boy finger to provide plug. I fear...all of me is leaking out and will be nothing but an empty shell soon. Tide will wash me away."

Jayne smiled to himself, biting his tongue to keep from lasciviously remarking on how much she was leaking, and all of it on his bed. His fingers were definitely contributing to that rather than halting it, as his calloused thumb was rubbing her clit while his two fingers worked themselves in and out of her. He tucked one arm under her and let his hand wrap itself in her hair again, providing a cradle for her skull so that he could look at her when he promised her, "No it won't. Gotta believe: I am your anchor and your dragonslayer. I won't let you get taken away. Never again, Baby Girl."

_"Will move heaven and hell to protect her,"_ He heard.

_Ta ma de! Bi zui, Pa!_

And yet, he kissed her again with everything he had, with all of the pent up passion he felt for her; all the power behind his actions erupted, unrestrained. River reveled in it, her tongue dancing with his, her hands in his hair. She cried out fiercely with her climax, but Jayne swallowed it, muting the sound.

The feel of her wetness on his fingers made him even more primal. He dropped onto his knees and off the edge of the bed. He parted her thighs and then he swiftly pulled her hips to his mouth. He could not fight the overwhelming urge to taste her; he had to bury his tongue in her, as his fingers just were, as his cock would soon be.

She tasted so right, so sweet...just like apples, and he was barely able to control himself or his arousal at the discovery.

River was so sensitive at this point that it didn't take long to bring her back to the edge, but she stopped him, placing her palm on his forehead. "Must divest...pants," she rasped.

Jayne quickly stood and undid the buttons on his fly. She watched him intently, staring at him as he quickly kicked off his shoes and dropped his pants. Her eyebrow lifted delicately and she smiled when she saw he was not wearing any underwear. River licked her lips as she eyed his erection and remembered that she had encountered no resistance when her hands were buried in his pants before. She hopped onto her knees and grabbed Jayne behind his thighs, pulling him toward her open mouth.

He watched as her lips closed around him and he knew he wouldn't be able to take very much of this. Vaguely, he remembered River's remark about Inara and a training manual. _Must be sure to get Inara something to say 'thank you.'_

Amazed at her inexperienced proficiency with what she was doing to him, all he could think was, _Sexy Girl sure is a genius when it comes to learning stuff all kinds of stuff._

He tried to think of things to distract himself: Wash's ugly shirts, the dinos on the helm, Book's latest sermon, Zoe with a shotgun aimed at him, Zoe playing with a dino while wearing Wash's ugly shirt, spouting a sermon and loading a shotgun.

None of it worked.

He hastily pulled her head away. Smugly he realized, _Again with the 'pop.' Girl's got a strong mouth._

He collapsed onto the bed to completely remove his pants and his socks. River chose the exact moment he was completely unclothed to climb upon him. She swung one leg over him and straddled his lap--only, unlike the fantasy in the casino, this time she faced him. And that meant her warm wetness pressed against his hardness.

Jayne pushed her soulders back in order to look deeply into her eyes, making sure that this was what she wanted. She seemed to acknowledge that silent question, and she answered it by lifting her hips and impaling herself on him. He found himself completely buried in her heated core and it was tighter, hotter, and wetter than he could ever have imagined. It felt so incredibly good that he had to remind himself to breathe.

He wrapped his arms around her, preparing to set a slow and steady tempo. But, once again, River wasn't having any of that. She ground against him, lifting and sinking fully onto him, seeking release. She bit his shoulder with the frustration of it.

"Not so close after all, were ya?" he asked her.

Her heated movements and desperation only served to make him want to draw this out--to tease and torment her as she had also done to him. When she lifted again, he wrapped his arms under her thighs and cupped her buttocks, preventing her from engulfing him.

"Please!" she pleaded, frantically wrapping her legs around his waist and clinging tightly to him.

"Soon enough, Baby Girl," he responded as he dipped his head to capture her lips in his again. He slowly lowered her onto his length and lifted her quickly, his tongue imitating the act in her mouth. She sighed, and suddenly did not seem to be as desperate for release. They enjoyed this play for a bit, until Jayne wanted to see her beg again. He removed his hands and let her sink onto his cock. He pulled her hips to his, rocking back and forth, and let one hand find her swollen clit. This time, his tongue slowly and languorously entwined with hers, and with a start she realized that she could taste herself on him.

She pulled back, licked her lips as if to savor the flavor, and commented, "I taste like…apples?"

It was hard enough watching her lick her lips, but when she said that, acknowledged that she could taste what he had licked from her, and that she liked it, he almost burst. Growling with hunger, without withdrawing from her folds and with little effort, he rolled her over and began thrusting into her with abandon. River wrapped her legs more tightly around his back and locked her ankles; Jayne rested on his elbows but his hands wrapped under her arms and around her shoulders, providing him with leverage.

When he could hear how her breath caught, could see her throw her head back in abandon, THEN he plunged into her as deeply as he could. He held his own release back watching her orgasm again and this time did not try to kiss her to keep her quiet. He reveled in hearing her cry out his name at her peak, in feeling her nails bite savagely into the skin on his back.

And then, Jayne could hold off no longer. He could feel her muscles contract around him, and with one last deep, hard thrust, he poured himself into her, growling her name possessively…drawing out the R's.

Jayne collapsed on top of River, then he moved slightly to the side so as not to crush her.

Wouldn't you know that someone chose that exact moment to bang on his door.

"Where the hell has my sister gone NOW?" Simon shouted. "You were supposed to be keeping watch over her, Jayne! I knew I shouldn't have left the trained ape to guard her; especially when I wasn't able to keep track of her myself...and _I_ am a responsible adult!"

Pounding more forcefully the door, the irate doctor called, "Jayne! Don't bother pretending you aren't in there. Kaylee and I could hear you."

"Ai ya, huai le!" Jayne cursed under his breath. He kissed River soundly and placed his finger over his lips to tell her to remain quiet. He then made his way to the door, dragging the sheet with him to use as a wrap.

_Don't wanna upset the uptight hun dan any more than...well, I guess the sight of some flesh ain't nothin' compare to sexin' up his sister,_ he thought, laughing.

Jayne opened the door a crack and silently cursed himself for forgetting to secure the chain first.

"Where IS she?" Simon was practically foaming at the mouth.

Poor Kaylee was hanging back in the hotel hallway trying not to look as embarrassed as she must have felt.

"I cannot find Mal and last night he assured me she would be safe in her room, and he said that you were on watch 'till morning," he accused.

Trying to diffuse the anger, the cheerful mechanic chimed in, "Guess what Jayne? Simon just won River this really pretty stuffed elephant for her birthday." Holding it up, Kaylee pointed out, "Look! She's wearing a tutu."

With a sorrowful frown, she added, "I feel real bad that we all forgot."

River chose that precise moment to thrust open the door in order to grab the prize from her friend--stark naked and DEFINITELY looking like she had just been sexed to within an inch of her life.

"Thank you. You too, Simon," she said politely and with a sweet smile.

Jayne closed his eyes slowly and began to pray for a quick death as the naked woman forcefully closed, locked and chained the door. Jayne could hear Kaylee giggling hysterically and Simon admonishing her to stop with a mortified, "Shush!"

"Brother will not do or say anything for a while. Will want to find Daddy first," she explained.

"Let's do it again!" River shouted with an enormous grin.

Jayne responded with, "Yeah? You wanna? What the hell then. At least I'll go out the airlock with a smile on my face!"

Then he picked her up and carried her back to bed.

And just in case Simon was still lurking at the door, River called out passionately, "OH YES! JAYNE, PLEASE! DO THAT AGAIN! TAKE ME...HARDER! MORE, MORE, MORRRRRRRRRE!"

Jayne buried his laughter in her hair and hugged her to him tightly.

Tian xiao de! He knew then that he had it bad for her.

Yep. Head over feet.


	16. Ghost from the Past

The man in black looked up as he felt the automated docking mechanism engage. At long last, he would be able to exact revenge by slowly killing his cunning prey.

Smiling sinisterly, he flipped through the pages of the dossier. Persephone, Whitefall, Santo...he'd been to them all; always just one step behind, but successful at finding evidence his presence. Learning, studying he became closer to his mark.

In Canton, Magistrate Higgins had been more than helpful, giving him money, and plenty of information on just what he needed to focus on, what ship he needed to stalk, how to find the elusive man. It was unfortunate that his contact on Ariel had been found dead with his security team. As instructed, he and the Alliance had done an efficient job of cleaning up the macabre scene--going so far as to blame all the deaths on the girl.

He knew she was capable of doing it. But he had seen The Specialists depart, had seen the evidence; he had noticed that one of if the guards had been beaten bloody and had his neck ruthlessly broken. That was not _her_ modus operandi.

But he knew whose it was.

Just as he instinctively knew the handiwork on Whitefall when he saw it. Clean, strategically placed, long-range shots. Just as he had been taught.

The Scorpion had deserted the Alliance, had altered his appearance, obliterated his fingerprints and changed his name. Nothing, however, could alter his signature strikes. The training was too deeply ingrained.

The man had spent a lot of time and money in his quest to hunt and kill the man who had cost him his commission, his home, his family, his entire way of life. Yes, his job with Blue Sun had given him some of that back. But he should be retired in luxury, or at least a member of the Military Elect. Not criss-crossing the system doing the gigantic corporation's dirty work.

Two birds with one stone, as the saying went. They were within his grasp. Finally, he saw the chance to stop the endless searching, to bring an end to Blue Sun's continually reassigning him. If he could return the girl, he would be able to relax, and _choose_ his own assigments.

He sighed and closed the file, templing his fingers under his chin.

Silently the man predicted: _Soon, the Scorpion shall fall to wrath of the Dragon._


	17. Revelations

Unable to sleep due to a pounding headache, Mal decided to go for a walk and check on Serenity while he was up. He didn't want to think about the chair that Jayne had placed, in a huff, outside of River's door where he had intended to spend his "baby-sitting" time.

More specifically, the weary Captain did not want to think about the fact that the chair was now empty. He was certain that the girl was asleep--that was determined with a quick bed check. Jayne had better make it back to his post, double-quick.

Arriving in the docking area Mal stumbled, still a little drunk, and narrowly avoided colliding with a sinister looking man. He was striding purposefully to wherever he was headed and probably would not have stopped if the weaving Captain _had_ run into him. The normally observant Captain had barely given the man any more notice when something interesting caught his eye.

His ship was efficiently being loaded with crate after crate...dozens of them.

Concerned, he walked over to one of the dock hands and asked what they were doing.

Pleasantly the man answered, "Ah! Captain Reynolds. The Boss said that you'd prolly come on by to check on yer ship. This here's the cargo he contracted with ya to take to--well, I don't rightly know where. Guessing that you do, though."

Mal was irked that no one had told him that they were already doing this. He expected the job to take at least another half day. He strode over to the crates and lifted the lid on one.

Inside, he saw row after row of ceramic Russian Nesting Dolls.

With a laugh he hefted one of the items up for closer inspection. It was a great deal heavier than he had anticipated. The surprising weight, combined with a bit of drunken clumsiness, caused him to drop it on the deck.

As it shattered, he noticed that the inside of the ceramic was coated with a thin layer of a dull, matte, gunmetal-colored paint. But what shocked and angered him was that, in the midst of the brightly decorated shards, lay a package of explosives. C-4 to be precise.

Angrily, he picked up one of the smaller ones and crushed the painted object, bloodying his hand in the process. In his palm remained a tightly wrapped pack of Grizwalds.

_Might be best if I didn't try that again,_ he thought shaking his head in disbelief.

In another, this one cracked open on the edge of the wooden crate, he found a box of bullets for a semi-automatic rifle.

Jester was using him, using his ship, to smuggle weapons, ammunition and explosives.

On the casino floor, a fuming Mal caught up with the former ally and confronted him.

"What the hell is goin' on here, Jester? I get caught with that cargo, me and mine go to prison. We'll be lucky to get a trial first."

"So don't get caught," Jester responded with a slight laugh.

"Ain't funny. And it's easy for you to say. Why didn't you tell me that's what I'm haulin'? You coulda given me the option of helping you. I don't like being blindsided."

"Malcolm, I apologize for the surprising way in which you--"

The Captain cut him off, "Apology not accepted."

"You've been known to smuggle and sell Alliance marked goods; you infiltrated and ripped off a Core Planet Hospital I do not understand what makes this any different?" the confused proprietor commented.

"First, those jobs I knowingly took. Made the decision to do it myself. Second, you made this out to be a milk-run, like we were gonna help you launder your ill-gotten gain," he accused.

Jester narrowed his eyes and replied, "Oh, it is not illegal profit that I reap here. I just don't want to pay the enormous taxes that go with owning it and with reporting the revenue. Not to the Alliance."

"Deal's off," Mal announced firmly. "Get that go se off of my ship. I ain't losing her because you're too cheap to--"

"Please, Malcolm. _Sergeant_..."

At the use of his former military title, Mal froze. Jester no longer referred to him as such, not since the war had been over.

"Those items are destined to armor a new resistance. The Independents have _not_ given up, not completely. Every day there is more and more unrest, more disillusionment from the masses that were assured Unification would better things for them. They are slowly realizing that they were lied to--and they are angry."

"I don't aim to reenact that war. I saw enough bloodshed, lost enough friends and soldiers."

"But, you see...we don't want that either! That is why we've taken a page from the training manual of Intel and Double Ops, like Jayne was. The infiltration has proven to be enormously successful. You have no idea how many Browncoats now sit in positions of power, leadership, education, government--even in the almighty Alliance military. Our hope is to achieve our goals, this time, through a relatively bloodless coup. Those weapons? The are simply a back up...a contingency plan."

Mal was skeptical of his claims and was not sure Jester was telling him the truth about the weaponry.

Trying to make a point, Mal told the man, "We'd never make it past a Fed sweep. We get buzzed and we're humped..."

Smiling, Jester answered, "You saw the cargo; did you notice that each of the ceramics was lined with a thin coat of lead? It keeps the Alliance from detecting what is inside! Also, there are plenty of empty ones that are cleverly marked so that you can offer them up for inspection. The paint we used to decorate all of them is ancient--and lead based itself. We acquired it from a man named Haymer on Bellerophon; he never even asked what we wanted with such a toxic substance. It will provide a plausible excuse for the irregular scans and you can smash open the decoys to prove such."

With a friendly hand on the Capitan's shoulder, the now animated man told him, "Malcolm, we have carefully orchestrated and tested this plan."

Just then, Jester raised his hand to press the receiver more firmly into his ear. With a worried glance at Mal, he asked him, "Can we finish this discussion later? Something...disturbing has come up. If you will excuse me?" he requested as he turned to talk into his comm.

The man then hurried away.

"This ain't over Jester," he muttered and went off to find Zoe. He needed to discuss this development with his First Mate and fellow Browncoat.

And he hoped the 'disturbing news' did not pertain to him. Or Serenity.


	18. Fleeting Happiness

Later, as they lay sated, wrapped in a tangle of limbs and River's hair, Jayne faced the enormity of what he'd done. Of what _they'd_ done. While he had dismissed his fear easily in the heat of passion, now the Merc fought back a momentary bout of panic.

Instead of surrendering to it, he tightened his grip around the soundly sleeping woman and kissed the top of her head. _She is mine, gorramit. Ain't nobody gonna take her from me, _he vowed.

But he knew they'd try.

He figured Zoe would just as soon cut off his balls as look at him. Inara would most likely help her. Without blinking, Mal would promptly space him when he found out, with the Shepherd pushing the button. Wash would probably just laugh him to death.

Simon was outraged, no doubt, and probably ran to tell the Captain as soon as he could speak coherently again. Only Kaylee seemed truly happy for them. Jayne doubted that even her bright smile and sunny disposition were enough to convince Simon that his sister and the 'trained ape' were good for each other. Because they were.

She made him want to be a better man. He made her feel normal.

So, he optimistically figured that he had till they were done with the job before he was called out. But he _would_ fight. For a chance at this...he'd tell Mal the truth from the get-go and hope he understood:

He loved her, plain and simple.

At that moment, River sighed and stretched languidly, flinging one arm and one leg over him in sleep. She looked so beautiful, so content, so _peaceful_--he hated to wake her.

Gently, Jayne tucked a bit of hair behind her ear and pulled her body up higher on his. He tilted her head up to study those delicate features and stared at her for long moments, then lowered his mouth to hers.

River's eyes fluttered open and she parted her lips to let him plunder her mouth. Once again, he had only intended to kiss her, to softly awaken her and then send her back to her own room.

Some say the path to hell paved with good intentions.

But to him, it felt like the path to heaven.

Instead, his hands and tongue left left no part of her untouched, uncaressed, unloved. He savored her like a condemed man would his last meal, making love to her as though it would be his last chance to do so. He didn't want to admit that it most likely could be.

_Won't give her up_, he firmly promised himself as he finally entered her.

Simultaneously River thought, _He is mine_.

She could feel his desperation in his touch. But she would not allow anyone to hurt him, to take him from her. Not the Captain; certainly not Zoe--not even Simon. But the girl knew it would take a very long time, if ever, for her brother to accept that she loved this man. That he made her laugh, he made her feel safe, he made her fly, he alone made all the voices fade away with his mere presence.

River looked up to meet Jayne's gaze and saw herself as he saw her: just a girl--a beautiful, sexy, smart, strong one. Not a fugitive, not a thing, not a cause, not...broken.

And as she surrendered to him, she softly repeated her earlier claim in time with his thrusts.

"Mine."

Simon paced Kaylee's room for hours. The mechanic had given up on trying to soothe and placate him; on trying to convince him that River was happy and that it should be the most important thing. Instead, she sat in one of the comfortable chairs reading the book she had gotten from her friend.

The agitated man ranted on and on about how he was going to kill Jayne. First it was in his sleep; then it was 'accidentally' giving him too large a dose of smoothers next time he was injured.

Suddenly he turned on her, "Did you know anything about this before tonight?"

Unable to lie, she smiled uncomfortably and told him, "Sorta."

"What do you mean 'sorta'? Why didn't you say anything? You should have told me!" he accused

"Why? So that you could pop like y'are now? Wasn't my place to tell--and I don't see nothin' wrong with it. Certainly didn't when all they was doin' was kissin' and stuff."

Throwing up his hands in anger and frustration, trying hard to remove the image of them together from his mind, he went back to pacing.

Sick of his tirade, irritated at how his obsession with 'fixing' his sister seemed to control his life, Kaylee eyed Simon's medical bag. One of his ranting threats had gotten her attention and given her an idea.

She wasn't gonna hurt him; just dope him enough to shut him up and help him to relax.

After all, he was giving her a headache.

After leaving the casino floor, Mal had walked the Sky-plex contemplating his dilemma. Realizing he smelled like he had bathed in whiskey, he went back to his room, showered and changed his clothes. He then spent an hour there ruminating, trying to decide what to do. Still unable to come to a decision, he went to consult Zoe.

Mal patiently waited outside of the room as Zoe hurriedly dressed. She was worried because he wouldn't have bothered her if it was not something important and from the look on his face she instantly knew that it was.

Hastily, the Captain told her about what he had discovered in the docking area and in the cargo hold, and of his subsequent conversation with Jester.

"We're takin' a big risk haulin' that. But, it's up to you, Sir," she told him.

But before Mal had a chance to answer there was a loud hysterical scream from the other end of the hall. Quickly glancing at each other, and knowing that most of this floor was crew, they ran to see the cause of the commotion.

It had come from Kaylee.

And in her arms lie a multiply stabbed, profusely bleeding and very naked Jayne.

"He...got her," Jayne choked out, struggling to breathe and to remain conscious.


	19. Paging Dr Tam

_He...got her," Jayne choked out, struggling to breathe and to remain conscious._

"Who got who?" Mal asked, confused. "And where the hell is that good for nothin' Doc?"

An anguished Kaylee answered, pointing to her room down the hall, "Oh, Cap'n...I doped him." She tried valiantly to staunch the blood running from Jayne's chest.

Zoe hastily dropped a blanket on him and tried to help her.

Spitting blood with every word, Jayne tried to explain, "River. He got...my girl."

Only slightly concerned at the proprietary way Jayne had said that, the fact that she'd been in his room (not her own), and of why Jayne had been naked at the time of the incident, Mal grabbed Jayne's face and forced him to look at him.

"Jayne, you gotta focus. Who got her, and which way did they go?"

"M'lliance CO--...ordered Morgan...killed."

At his answer, Malcolm Reynolds fumed and saw red.

"Where's his bag?" he barked at Kaylee.

Zoe, knowing Mal's experience with real wounds, looked up and said, "Sir?"

"Where's the Doc's bag?" he repeated.

Kaylee responded, still crying, "In...my room."

Angrily, he hurried to her door and kicked it in. He found the bag and rummaged through it, making sure nothing fell out. Finally finding what he was looking for, he strode over to the unconscious Simon where he lay on the bed and dosed him with a powerful stimulant.

As he shook off the drug-induced fog, Simon realized that Mal was hovering over him.

"Thank God. Captain, you've got to do something--"

Cutting him off, Mal snapped, "Not now, Doc." He then dragged the man onto his unsteady feet, grabbed the medical bag, and shoved him out of the room.

"But..."

"We have more pressing needs right now," the irate Captain barked as he helped him down the hall.

When it dawned on Simon where they were heading, he sobered up a bit more. "River?" he called, panicked, as he hurried ahead of Mal, rounded the doorway, and skidded to a halt in Jayne's room.

"What happened?" he asked, frightened but hopeful that his sister had caused this. Because in his mind, Jayne deserved it.

Zoe stood up and yanked him over to a now barely breathing Jayne. "Fix him," she ordered.

"What? And Why? No doubt whatever occurred here--"

Malcolm stepped to him, and faced him down. "Doc, I got no time to quarrel with you. Do your gorram job, NOW!"

Kaylee looked up at him and pleaded, "Please Simon! You gotta do somethin'. Somebody...they got River and we're gonna need Jayne if you wanna get her back."

Horrified that she had been taken, Simon looked down at Jayne. _She's right,_ he admitted to himself. He might not like the Merc, but he knew that they would need his skills to retrieve her.

As he knelt to do what he could for the injured man, Jayne opened his eyes and grabbed the younger man's hand in a surprisingly forceful grip.

"I'm...sorry. Did...the best I...could to pro...tect her," he told him, choking on his own blood. And then he mercifully passed out.

In those few seconds Simon could hear the sincerity in the big man's voice and could see the anguish and fear in his eyes before they closed.

Swallowing his hatred of the man, the Trauma Surgeon in Simon kicked in and he set to work on Jayne's many knife wounds.


	20. We Need A Plan

As Simon worked to stabilize Jayne, Mal hurried down the hall to the elevator. He needed Jester's help in figuring out who it was, exactly, that wanted to kill his Merc. He knew WHAT the murderous kidnapping hun dan was, or used to be; just not WHO.

_Jester's gotta have that info,_ he thought to himself as he waited for the slow-as-molasses-in-January car to arrive.

The chime finally signaled the appearance of the lift and Mal had to jump back as Jester charged out of the elevator car.

"Malcolm! You and your crew are in danger. You need to leave immediately."

"More'n likely your cargo is, right? Lemme guess: Alliance on its way?" Mal retorted.

"Why, yes. But that is neither here not there, for now. Do not worry on that; my employees have a diversion planned, if it is warranted, in order for you and your ship to get away. But, more importantly, what is most distressing...that call I received on the casino floor during our conversation..."

Irritated that Jester was taking so long, and still worried about his injured and missing crew members, Mal huffed, "Today would be good."

"Mal, a Blue Sun wet works pro is here. I assume he was originally after your fugitive siblings."

"I got no time to worry about that right now. Besides, he's a bit late seeing as how River's already gone and--"

"He is ex-Alliance, and was Jayne's CO and trainer."

"Ta ma de! That's who tried to kill Jayne and who's got River. What a lucky day it turned out for him--do your job and exact a little vengeance as a bonus."

"What do you mean? Is Jayne hurt?" Jester asked, worried. At Mal's nod he radioed and hastily ordered a stretcher and med-team to the floor. Then he and Mal went to check on Simon's progress.

The busy doctor filled them in: "I've almost stopped the bleeding. Somehow NONE of Jayne's vital organs were significantly injured, other than the one punctured lung, some muscle damage, and a few severed veins resulting in a lot of lost blood--he'll need a transfusion. These wounds...it was either very sloppy of the attacker--"

"Or very deliberate and precise," Zoe finished. "Didn't think anyone would find him before he bled to death, or drowned in his own blood."

Nodding, Simon continued, "If we get him to a medical facility, or the infirmary, I can suture these wounds more securely and reinflate his lung. All of these gashes are deep and I'd much rather re-do these stitches with the aid of a magnifyer--especially the muscle tissues."

Mal agreed. "Alright people," he called, "Load up--we're leaving. Zoe, wake up that husband of yours. Have him get on the radio to Inara and tell her we gotta go. She can either cut her business short, or stay here till we get back; let her know it might be a while, if that's the case."

"Yes, sir," she replied and hurried off.

"Mal..."

The room's remaining inhabitants turned to the now-awake Merc as he struggled to communicate.

"Get a...list. All ships...left recently. Within...last hour or so."

Mal looked over to the owner and Jester nodded. In hushed tones he spoke on his comm unit. After a moment, he faced Mal and told him it was being downloaded to Serenity's computer.

Luckily, there were only five that dissembarked in that time. Hopefully, Jayne could figure out which one was escaping with River so that they could go after her. And that was provided they made it past the Alliance Cruiser headed straight for this facility, since they still had the problem of the seriously contraband cargo. As Jayne would have said, "A lot of 'if's' coming offa this plan."

"Jester, you gotta get that load offa my ship, double time," Mal snapped.

"I cannot my friend; there's not enough time. That cruiser will be here...in less than 40 minutes and you need to be long gone before that. They won't ask for any ships' registries except for the ones still docked. I'd rather our diversion be a last-ditch effort since it would mean letting several dozen Alliance soldiers crawl, unchecked, around my station."

The medical/security detail arrived and loaded the grumbling and groaning injured man on the stretcher. As they left, with Simon in tow, Jester apologized again to his friend.

"Malcolm, I truly am sorry. I...I thought you would understand and be eager to help. I misjudged and it will not happen again. But I did make sure that Serenity was stocked with provisions and filled with fuel. I figured that you might be tired of protein-loaf, so there is fresh bread and fruit. The reserve fuel cells have also been topped, as was your ammunition stores...just in case. There are also a few presents."

Jester took a ragged breath and continued, "I'll try to wave some of my other contacts to see if they can take the cargo from you. Maybe Monty? Because there is no telling where he would have taken the girl and no way I could expect you to--"

"We'll deal with the specifics on that later, Jester. How 'bout you wave our hacker friend and see if he has heard anything, has any idea where this guy mighta run off to. He's got his fingers into everything come across Cortex, and he'd be the first to know. We know that the girl and her brother are wanted alive; I'm just a might bit worried he's headed right for that cruiser. We ain't got a snowball's chance in hell to pull her outta there," the Captain sighed.

"Right. We'll back-door their system when they ask for the registries, see if any of those five ships docked there. But I doubt it; he's contract hire. By the way, Johansen is his name and his alias is 'The Dragon'. I know you, and I know Jayne--no way I'd bet against the two of you when you got a mind to doing something. Good luck getting River back."

Mal nodded and said, "Much obliged. It appears we'll be nedding it. Kaylee? You got everyone's stuff packed up?"

"Yes, Cap'n," she replied softly, pulling the bags behind her.

With a mock salute to Jester, Mal hefted one of the bags up on his shoulder and grabbed another from her struggling hands.

"Let's go rescue our girl," he said and they trotted off toward the ship.


	21. Cold Day In Hell?

Simon had given Jayne a smoother just before they loaded him into the infirmary, and the injured man sat uncomfortably on the reclining chair. Jayne knew that the Doc had promised never to intentionally harm him as he tended to his wounds...but that was before the uptight prude knew about him and River. Seeing your sister, naked, in the room of a man you despise is likely to cloud your judgment.

Watching the younger man warily, the Merc jerked back and narrowed his eyes as Simon swiveled, brandishing a scalpel.

Coldly, the doctor told him, "You are lucky that I need your help in finding my sister, or else I'd have finished the job your attacker began."

"Look, Doc--"

"You are also extremely fortunate that I take my hippocratic oath quite seriously, because I could have done a botch job--fixing you well enough to get the job done, and then..." he trailed off. "But I have more honor than that. Mal once told me that if he ever decided to kill me, I'd be awake, facing him, and armed. I'd be stupid to try that with you, though. You are one of the best, if not the best, shots that I've seen," Simon grudgingly admitted. "I have no intention of committing suicide by challenging you. So when this is over--"

"Simon..."

"...you and I are going to have to--" The young man paused upon hearing his name. Jayne NEVER called him by his name.

"What?" he asked, allowing the man to continue.

Wheezing as he spoke, and still under the effects of the smoother, Jayne told him, "I promised her I'd never let no one get her. But that no good hun dan did. I...I let her down. Again. The one ruttin' thing I ever promised to do, and meant it, and I didn't--couldn't do it. You ain't gotta worry none about your sis and me. I failed her--reckon she ain't liable to forgive me. Only gorram thing she ever asked of me..." he trailed off morosely.

"Her response remains to be seen. This is going to hurt," he told the Merc as he cut the already anesthetized area on his side and shoved in the tube to re-inflate his lung. "While I have to admit that I would dearly love that to be the case, you don't know her well enough if YOU believe that," Simon told him, defending his sister.

Jayne nodded miserably and admitted, "I guess I don't. Yet. That what's botherin' ya?" he asked then hissed as Simon liberally poured antiseptic on his sutured wounds.

"No. YOU bother me. Rutting untrained ape," he muttered the last bit under his breath as he placed gauze over his work.

The big man tried to laugh at that, but it hurt too much. Instead, he smiled and said, "Doc, ain't nobody gonna be good enough for your little sis. I know; I got one too. Hell, even I gotta admit I ain't the kinda man mothers want their baby-girls attatched to. And I ain't done nothin' to deserve _her_."

Simon had to agree with him and said as much, then added, "And I used to be considered one of the finest catches for any would-be debutant. And yet, here I am..."

"Little Kaylee thinks you are."

"But, she DOPED me! You might not have needed that transfusion from both Mal and Wash if she hadn't done that."

Proudly the Merc asked, "She did? HA! Can't say I'm surprised. You were rantin' on like a rabid beagle, prolly got on her nerves. Tend to have that effect on people."

Simon stared at him, then laughed as he finished covering the man's injuries. The two continued chatting amiably about nothing in particular, as the ship sped away from the approaching Alliance cruiser.

Standing outside the infirmary, Mal stood...shocked. Then, he looked around, half expecting to see that Hell had, indeed, frozen over.


	22. The Hunt Begins

Shaking off his considerable unrest at seeing his Mercenary and his Medic chatting it up like they were friends, Mal purposefully entered the infirmary. Waving a print-out, the Captain explained what it was.

"Jayne, Wash got to checking on the five ships. We got their specifics and he plotted approximations on where they were going from their recent headings and energy signatures."

The injured man tried to sit up, so Simon lifted the head of the bed so he could see better.

"Looks like one of 'em's a high-class luxury liner. It's a brand new Scarab called 'Flotsum's Paradise'. Don't reckon that'd be the ship since it's swarming with a bunch of nekkid people," Mal told him with a smirk. "Nudist retreat," he added.

"Interesting..." Simon said with a face that definitely meant it was not.

"'Nother one is an enormously large, long-range Argas called 'The Aprilflower'. According to its manifest its got two times too many people on board already. Homesteaders, their families, crop seeds, supplements, cattle, and all their wordly possessions...plus five very wet-behind-the-ears, brand new Alliance Feds headed to that shiny new non-Patience run settlement on Whitefall."

"Nah, that don't seem like him, Mal," Jayne said as he shook his head. "Too many people, very hard to hide. I saw that ship docked. Somebody mentioned it didn't have room for a full-time mechanic and Jester had to send out a tug to bring it in. Took 'em a full week to get the engine overhauled."

"Good point. Well, we got 2 cargo ships. One was a Silkworm, ship smaller'n ours, called 'Obfuscation'--which is downright amusin' when I looked up the meaning, especially since it was the ship we got our cargo from," the Captain offered.

Again, Jayne shook his head.

"Th'other was a Moonmoth, bit bigger'n ours, but has a smaller range. I can see by its name, 'Crouching Tiger', that it has to be New-Beijing Triad run. Jester said it dropped off some newly indentured, and most likely under-age, whor--prostitutes for Madam Chu's. Did some extortin' and racketeerin', too..."

"Nuh uh. Least likely ship so far. Triad'd startin' offerin' secret bounties on Alliance Officers and government officials a-ways back. Kidnappin' and ransomin' must pay well...saw that ship too," Jayne advised.

"OK. We got a very small, maybe 3 person ship. We only know this due to it bein' a whole lot smaller than the berth they'd been given. But no one noted the class or the name--and since it was misidentified and entered as a...Phthyrus? class ship, which I ain't ever heard of, named...Pubys?--in the sky-plex registry. We got no info on it."

At the ship's classification and name, Simon tried very hard to supress a laugh, but snorted with the effort, and it escaped as a quick chortle.

"Somethin' amusin', Doc?" the Captain asked.

Simultaneously, Jayne turned slightly to say, "Wanna let us in on the joke?"

"Phthirus Pubis is a latin term classifying a type of parasite known to us as...Public Lice. Or Crabs," he explained, still smiling.

Both of the other men grabbed their crotches unconciously.

"Be that as it may, we still got no info on it," Mal said, not smiling.

"That last one seems most likely of them five. How 'bout checking on what ships left right after us, just in case. He mighta waited, especially if he knew she'd been on Serenity, to take off where we couldn't see. That's what I'd'a done," he added, looking down at one of the bandages on his chest.

"Right."

Clicking his comm unit, Mal called his Pilot. "Wash, get back on the radio to Jester. Jayne wants to know what ships left after us."

"Will do, will do. How's he doin', by the way?"

"I'm sure he will be up and lumbering about in his usual gruff and intimidating manner within a few hours, despite medical advice," Simon offered.

He had meant it as a slight insult; despite his earlier comraderie with the man, Simon was still angry. However, Jayne grinned at the remark and nodded firmly once.

"Damn right. Intimidatin'," the Merc said proudly.

"Good to know. I'd hate to have to take up the slack for him as he recuperated," Wash added with a laugh.

The comm clicked off as the pilot switched to radio the sky-plex.

"We got any idea where he'd take her?" Mal asked his doctor and his tracker.

"Back to the Academy?" Simon offered, hesitantly.

Closing his eyes as he hoped that was not the case since River had told him that she'd rather die than go back there, Jayne told them it was a likely destination.

"Wish I knew what kinda ship that was, if it was him even, to gimme an idea of range. Let alone know if we're facin' any kind of fire power."

The comm crackled and the infirmary reverberated with Wash's hurried announcement, "Hey, Jayne. A Dragonfly left about 8 minutes before we did. Took us a while to get the info cause Jester had to beat it out of one of his dock hands. Evidently the guy took a bribe to keep the ship off the registry. He's working on a list of other recently departed ships."

_Ai ya,_ Jayne thought to himself, uncertain and desperately afraid to be wrong. _River, baby girl..._

Mal interrupted his thoughts, "Didn't River mention that being the kind of ship Jubal had?"

"Yeah, but I ain't sure, Mal. That mighta been a diversion...he's a smart son of a--wish I had more info on what that gorram hun dan's been up to lately, what his connections were. Last I heard he'd been shuffled out to the border...kinda why I always expected us to run into him."

Suddenly, the Captain remembered Jester's comment about who Johansen was working for.

"Blue Sun," he told the Merc.

"What?" Jayne asked, confused.

"Jester said he was workin' for Blue Sun. Now why in the hell would a corporation that big need the reward from the capture of a little girl?"

"Hey funny man, you still listenin'? Any Blue Sun facilities out this area? Manufacturin', Supply--"

"Hang on...gettin' a wave now."

As they waited for the Pilot to return to their conversation, Mal stepped in close to the chair.

"When this is all done and settled--you and me gotta talk, Jayne."

The big man didn't even have to ask what about; he nodded solumnly and then grimaced. The smoothers were wearing off.

Noticing his discomfort, Simon asked if he needed any more pain medication.

"No. I'm alright. Little bit o'pain is good. Keeps me focused."

"Captain, our hacker-friend was able to answer Jayne's question. Seems there's a Blue Sun Research and Development Lab not more than a days full burn away."

Somehow, Jayne knew in that instant--that was the place.

Just to be sure, he asked, "Either of them ships headed that way?"

"One's going in the opposite direction completely. The other, the Dragonfly, appears to be headed that way, but I can't get a fix on it. Long-range ain't long enough to be sure and this ship's burning hard," Wash told him.

Turning to face the Captain, Jayne said, "Don't know why, Mal...but that's the one we need to follow."

Nodding, Mal told him, "Well, then, we're gonna trust your instinct and do so. Gotta be a reason, even if you don't know what it is, cause you're the best gorram tracker I ever had the displeasure of being hunted by."

"Wash, set a course for that Blue Sun Lab. Try to catch up with that ship before she gets there," the Captain ordered. He figured they'd have a better chance at getting River back if they had only one bad guy to face.

"Yes sir," he answered.

Unfortunately, neither remembered the added weight of the cargo and how it would slow them down considerably.

River's eyes suddenly snapped open and she realized that she was tightly trussed up. She couldn't feel her fingers, or her feet...and her chest hurt badly, as did her head.

And she was naked.

Then she felt it: the Dragon had come for her. Why had Jayne let him? He was supposed to be her dragon-slayer...he had _promised_. What had happened?

Closing her eyes again, River tried to recall the last moments before she woke up here.

_"Ai ya, Baby Girl. You're gonna kill me," Jayne groaned as she took his now flaccid member into her mouth. They had recently finished, and there really was much to do other than trying to engage him in a fourth round of sex. Like sleep. But she was determined to arouse him again, and within a few moments, she was successful. She loved loving this man, and she climbed on to him, always wanting more._

She was so very much addicted.

Addicted to the blessed silence.

Jayne's presence always had a significantly quieting effect on the voices, allowing her to sleep a little more soundly, think a little more clearly, function a little more normally. But the voices always remained, buzzing in a corner of her mind.

However, when they made love...all she heard was him, and a slight hum. For the precious few moments during and just after she climaxed--there was absolutely nothing.

A blissful nothing.

That nothing was what kept her from knowing that the Dragon was there, though.

River threw her head back in abandon and opened her mouth in a wordless cry, fingers holding tightly to his chest hair. Gnashing his teeth to restrain his cry of pleasure and gripping her hips above him tightly, Jayne arched up into her as he, too, came.

Without warning, the hotel room door crashed open. Jayne's head shot up and River turned to face the intruder...and took the full force of a sonic rifle pulse--right in the middle of her chest.

She remembered flying off of Jayne, and the bed, toward the far end of the room. Then...nothing after her head struck the edge of the table there.

He didn't stop the Dragon from taking her.

But she knew he would have tried. Knew it as confidently as she knew the square root of 5232467857, and the classification of this ship---without any effort. If the Dragon had managed to succeed, that could only mean...

_No,_ she thought firmly to herself. If her knight was dead, she'd feel it--the emptiness.

She didn't feel empty.

That meant he was severly injured, because he would have fought tooth and nail to keep her safe. He may not know it, may not be able to admit it to himself...but Jayne loved her and would die trying to protect her. 

This man had hurt her dragon-slayer.

Instantly, the Academy training kicked in.

With a mechanical eye she surveyed her surroundings. She was on a Dragonfly, and she spotted a Blue Sun logo that adorned a well-worn leather portfolio. Everything, anything in and on this ship that could be used as a weapon was noted. Now, if only she could free herself of her bonds.

And there was the little problem of her still being naked.

When River realized that she was incapable of getting to the knots and that her hands were secured (too tightly) with cuffs, she knew what she had to do.

Taking a deep, fortifying breath and imagining a mortally wounded Jayne to give her strength, River wrench her right shoulder backwards and down, dislocating it--providing enough slack to drop the ropes to where her fingers could access the knots.

Her eyes tearing, biting her lip to keep from crying out with the pain, she worked on them--trying to loosen the ties while keeping a keen eye on the man who had abducted her. She didn't think he had heard the pop of her injury a moment ago, but she wasn't sure. So she manipulated the knots more quickly.

She was not going back to the Academy, even if it meant her death.

Finally free of the ropes, River brought her hands underneath and in front of her, then silently rose and stalked up behind the sinister looking man.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you," he advised. "This ship responds only to my biometrics. Were my heart to stop, so would the engine--knocking out all power and life support."

River raised her left arm and fully extended it upwards, dragging the excruitatingly painful dislocated arm with it. With a powerful fist, she hit him viciously on the back of his skull, near the nape of his neck. As he was knocked unconscious, she replied to his comment.

"Good thing I had no intention of killing you. That particular pleasure I reserve for my love--the Scorpion. You'll probably regret that I did not dispatch you from the bonds of living, as you will undoubtedly die an unimaginably painful death at his hands."


End file.
